Living in the Shadow
by Glossfur of Ravenclaw
Summary: Living in the shadows, there is an evil like none other. He lurks and waits for the perfect opportunity to strike. Little does he know that StarClan already created a prophecy to stop him...I AM NOT UPDATING THIS ANYMORE! CH19 4 DETAILS!
1. Prologue

Four cats stepped into the clearing. Just ahead of them, the Moonpool shimmered and sparkled, beckoning them closer.

"Is this wise, Owlstar?" a white tom meowed. His broad shoulders and numerous battle scars made him the most feared leader in Clan history; yet, when any of his Clan-mates were in danger, he would always be the one to save them.

"I would not do this if I had no other choice," Owlstar replied sadly. The four cats kept walking until they reached the Moonpool. Owlstar was in front; his tawny-colored pelt shining with the stars.

"But there is another choice," a third voice came. A she-cat, with a dark gray pelt gray eyes, padded over to Owlstar.

"What other choice? Either we pick her or the Clans get destroyed," the fourth voice growled. A brown tom with yellow eyes came out of the shadows.

"Mudstar is correct, Ashstar," Owlstar meowed, his gaze steady on the Moonpool.

"But we'd destroy a she-cat's life forever!" Ashstar protested.

"Well, she'd just die young. It's not like she's going to be born a cripple or anything," Whitestar reassured her. "Besides, there really is no other choice."

"But the weight of the prophecy is too much for her to carry," Ashstar meowed.

"Then we distribute the weight evenly," Owlstar meowed, as if suddenly struck with a thought.

"Two cats die young. How is that any better?" Mudstar questioned.

"It's better because, with two cats instead of one, they can watch each other's backs. Support each other. Be there for each other. There's less chance of her dying if she has someone kind and caring to watch her back. StarClan knows she'll need it," Ashstar replied, nodding her head. The surface of the Moonpool rippled and two faces appeared on the lake: one a black she-cat with glossy fur, obviously RiverClan, and the other…ThunderClan. Ashstar jerked her head up.

"ThunderClan?" Whitestar hissed.

"No! Our plan is ruined!" Owlstar growled. While the leaders were fighting, Ashstar slowly slipped into the reeds until she disappeared from sight.

"No matter what they think, I'll always be watching you," she murmured to herself.

After she said this she looked down on the living world below her.

In the living world, a she-cat screamed.


	2. Silverstripe's Decision

"Quick! Get Ravenpelt!" Quailflight gasped. The whole RiverClan instantly awoke.

"What's wrong?" Dovepelt, another queen in the nursery, asked groggily. Her kits were still sleeping soundly by her belly.

"Silverstripe's having her kits!" Quailflight responded breathlessly. Ravenpelt had burst into the nursery with his apprentice, Finchtail, right at his heels. In their jaws were herbs needed for kit-birth.

"Of course she's having her kits. She's pregnant, what else would she be having? A diarrhea?" Dovepelt mumbled sarcastically as she drifted back to sleep.

Quailflight rolled her eyes and looked at Silverstripe. Her breathing was ragged and Ravenpelt had a paw at her belly. As another contraction came, Ravenpelt urged her. "Push!" he meowed. Silverstripe screeched and pushed. A wet kit came tumbling out onto the moss. Finchtail immediately licked its fur fiercely. It wailed and Finchtail placed it by its mother's belly. Silverstripe didn't have time to marvel her kit; another one was coming. Finchtail licked it and placed it by its mother's belly as she did the first one. Finally, the last kit was born. Finchtail finished licking it and placed it by its mother's belly with relief.

"Three kits—two she-kits and a tom! Congratulations, Silverstripe!" Ravenpelt purred. Silverstripe purred weakly.

Outside of the nursery, Silverstripe's mate, Birchsong, was pacing furiously. He seemed to be growling to himself as Finchtail stepped outside to tell him he could see his mate.

"She's fine. There's three healthy kits—two she-kits and a tom. I'd suggest you let her rest for the night, but it's okay to see her, too," she reported. Birchsong nodded, relieved. A look of pride spread across his face. He rushed into the nursery and saw Silverstripe, crooning over her kits. The warm, milky scent engulfed him as he slowly padded over to Silverstripe's nest.

"What should we name them, my love?" he asked breathlessly. One of the she-kits had glossy, smooth black fur, and the other had somewhat tangled dark gray pelt. The tom was light gray. He had silvery black triangle-shaped markings on his head, back, and legs. They were all beautiful and deserved beautiful names.

"Stormkit for my little tom," Silverstripe purred. "And Ashkit for this little she-kit." Silverstripe pointed to the tangled she-kit with her tail.

"Beautiful," Birchsong breathed, purring.

"You decide on this one," Silverstripe said suddenly, her motherly and loving attitude gone. Birchsong frowned slightly but looked at the last unnamed she-kit. Suddenly, he realized why Silverstripe wasn't looking at this one. It was so small, like it could die in a day or two. Silverstripe didn't want to name it only to be heartbroken a few days later. Birchsong took a deep breath.

"What about Glosskit?" he suggested. Silverstripe nodded drowsily and drifted off to sleep. As Birchsong looked down at his three kits, he purred softly.

"I will always love you," he whispered proudly, and licked each of their small heads gently.

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 **Hey everyone! This is my first Fanfiction story, so I will get very discouraged if I don't get at least one review before I publish chapter 2!**

 **QOTC (question of the chapter): If you were Silverstripe, would you have named Glosskit anyway?**

 **PS. I did not copy anyone's story-this was my own original idea. It may be _similar_ to other stories, but it is not a copy. Of any sorts. **


	3. Wrenstar's Tale

**Welcome to the next chapter! I only got one review by Kai Lover911. Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it! Now, onto the story...**

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"Come on, Glosskit, keep up!" Ashkit squealed. The dark-gray she-kit tumbled out of the nursery and landing on top of her brother, Stormkit, who was already grooming himself.

"Get off me, you big lump!" he squeaked, wiggling under his larger sister.

Meanwhile, Glosskit was still sleeping in the nursery. She was nestled cozily by her mother, Silverstripe, who was also dozing off. The sunlight poured into the nursery and reflected off Glosskit's sleek black pelt. Next to Silverstripe's nest, Dovepelt lay, also napping. Her kits, Leopardkit and Mistkit, were outside, playing Catch the Mouse. Quailflight, an expecting queen, was stretching. She padded out of the den, her stomach swaying as she moved.

"Come on, Glosskit! You've been sleeping for ages! It's already midmorning!" Ashkit whined. She and Stormkit were sitting next to each other, tails wrapped around their paws neatly, waiting for Glosskit. Grumbling loudly, Glosskit stood up on her small legs and wobbled out of the nursery.

"I'm here, stop shouting," she moaned. "Can we play mossball or something?" Ashkit opened her tiny mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by Leopardkit and Mistkit. They stormed over to the three kits.

Leopardkit sneered. "You can't play mossball because you're too tiny," she crowed.

"Yeah, you're too small to be useful!" Mistkit jeered. She swiped at Glosskit's ear with a sheathed paw. Glosskit failed to duck in time and Mistkit's paw whacked the side of her head.

"Ow!" she wailed. Due to her small size, Glosskit fell over on her side. Nobody noticed the kits. They were all busy doing their own thing. Slowly, Glosskit got back up.

"Glosskit, are you okay?" Ashkit squealed. She covered Glosskit's small body with fierce licks like a mother caring for her kit, even though they were the same age. Stormkit growled at Leopardkit and Mistkit, who looked stunned.

"Sorry Glosskit! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Mistkit meowed, scared. Glosskit glared at Mistkit with her green eyes.

"Then don't whack my head like that," Glosskit meowed coldly, and stomped proudly into the elder's den, where she hoped to receive some consoling and maybe even hear a story.

"Hello, Glosskit. What brings you here today?" Treeface asked. He was the oldest elder and always had the best stories.

"I was wondering if you could tell me a story," Glosskit meowed hopefully. Treeface purred, a sound like the rumbling thunder, while Goldeneyes, the only other elder, proceeded to groom her fur. Even at an old age, Goldeneyes cared about how beautiful and young she looked.

"Well, young'un, there's a bunch of stories in my day, but I reckon you want an interesting one. Let me tell you about Wrenstar," Treeface began.

"Wrenstar, then Wrenfoot, was the best warrior in all Clans. All of the Clans respected him. Everyone wanted to be him. He was known for his strength, skill, courage, and determination. He was also compassionate and kind.

"One day, though, Wrenfoot met a dark spirit. It transformed him. It took all his good qualities and turned them into bad. He eventually killed the leader of his Clan and became the most feared leader in Clan history. The dark spirit continued to guide him towards the path of evil. Eventually, he was killed by the cats of a prophecy. They were foretold to save the forest. Wrenstar eventually went to the Dark Forest for his crimes, but nobody forgot his former self, the kind, compassionate cat. To this day, no one knows who or what the dark spirit was, or how it possessed Wrenstar. All we know is that before he died, Wrenstar screamed, 'Sweetfoot!' which was understandable, because she was his mate. But she died before his evil reign, plus, he took another mate after her, so no one knows why he yelled her name. It's an unsolved mystery," Treeface ended on the ominous note. Glosskit shivered.

"Treeface, you'll scare the living wits out of her before she's even apprenticed!" Goldeneyes scolded, pausing from her grooming. She turned to Glosskit with kind eyes. "Even though the Wrenstar tale is very true, you needn't worry, little one. No evil spirit is going to haunt you anytime soon." Glosskit nodded and thanked Treeface, then practically ran out of the elder's den.

Ashkit and Stormkit were mock-fighting in the clearing. They kicked dust all over the camp, and some landed in the fresh-kill pile.

"Hi, Glosskit, wanna join us?" Stormkit asked cheerfully, still pinning Ashkit. When he was distracted, Ashkit battered Stormkit's belly gently and Stormkit rolled off her.

"Take that, Stormstar of MeanClan!" she meowed victoriously. Glosskit watched them, her whiskers twitching as she tried not to laugh.

"Hey, Glosskit, wanna be Glossstar of CoolClan? I'm Ashstar of NiceClan," Ashkit called.

Glosskit opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by the arrival of Birchsong. He was the Clan deputy and the kits' father.

"Hey!" Birchsong meowed. All three kits turned to face their father, their tails wrapped neatly around their paws and their eyes widened so they looked ridiculously cute.

"Palepaw and Rainpaw are having their warrior ceremony today. Do you know what a warrior ceremony is?" Birchsong asked, wrapping his tail around his kits.

"It's when an apprentice becomes a warrior. Just because we're only four moons old doesn't mean we don't know anything!" Ashkit whined.

Birchsong purred. "I was wondering if you would like to watch the ceremony instead of stay in the nursery," he meowed seriously.

"All of us?" Stormkit asked, his gray eyes widening.

"Yes, all of you," Birchsong meowed. "Come on, Silverstripe wants to clean you up." He padded off.

"Wow! We get to watch our first warrior ceremony!" Glosskit squealed. The kits trotted to the nursery, where Silverstripe licked them so hard they thought half their fur would fall out.

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 **Author's note: This chapter might be a bit boring, but it explains some stuff that will be important later on in the story (hint: the evil spirit that "possessed" Wrenstar). Please leave a review of what you think! I want two by the time I publish the next chapter!**

 **QOTC: Why do you think Wrenstar yelled "Sweetfoot!" before he died? Leave your answer in a (hint, hint) REVIEW!**


	4. A Shocking Betrayal

**Welcome to the next chapter! Seriously, though, 123 views and TWO reviews? Come on! I know we can do better than that! Thanks again to Kai Lover911 for reviewing. Oh, and I also kinda had to change the rating from K+ to T for safety, just in case some themes are a bit too mature for 9 year olds. Enjoy!**

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"I, Rosestar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of the warrior code. Do you, Palepaw and Rainpaw, promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Rosestar meowed.

"I do," they replied.

"Then I give you your warrior name. Palepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Palefoot. StarClan honors your intelligence and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." Palefoot licked Rosestar's shoulder and went to sit by her mentor, Birchsong. Glosskit's father looked proudly at his apprentice, but there was something else in his gaze. Glosskit didn't understand it. She was so distracted she missed part of Rainpaw's naming.

"—as Raingaze. StarClan honors your strength and determination, and we welcome you as full warrior of RiverClan." Raingaze also licked Rosestar's shoulder respectfully and went to sit by his mentor, Applefur.

"Palefoot! Raingaze!" the Clan cheered the new warriors' names while they ducked their heads embarrassedly. Birchsong nuzzled Palefoot's ear—a little too close for comfort, Glosskit thought—but the moment was over in a blink of an eye. Glosskit was too busy seeing if Silverstripe reacted or not, so she missed the next few words Rosestar said.

"—sit in a silent vigil to guard camp," Rosestar meowed. Palefoot and Raingaze wrestled through the crowd of cats to sit vigil while everyone else went to their dens to have a good night's sleep.

Glosskit, Ashkit, and Stormkit bounded off to the nursery. When they got there, Silverstripe wasn't there.

"Where is she?" Stormkit asked. He sniffed the air with his little pink nose, as if trying to find her scent trail. "There!" he meowed excitedly. He started to follow Silverstripe's "scent trail". Glosskit and Ashkit decided to humor him, first, but after a few minutes, he didn't return.

"Should we try to find him?" Ashkit meowed dubiously.

"Stormkit could be in trouble! Come on, let's find him!" Glosskit meowed. She sniffed the air and followed Stormkit's tracks, Ashkit close behind her.

They finally saw Stormkit sitting on a tall rock. His back was turned from them. Glosskit heard weird noises from behind the rock. She wondered what was happening that Stormkit found so interesting to see. She and Ashkit slowly climbed the rock. Once Glosskit reached the top, she called Stormkit's name. He whipped around and shushed her. He gestured to something below the rock with his tail.

Glosskit peered down and saw her father, Birchsong, with Palefoot. _How did she leave the vigil without anyone knowing?_ Glosskit wondered. Ashkit scampered over to where Glosskit was sitting.

"What's happening?" she whispered, frightened.

"Let's watch," Glosskit meowed, craning her neck to see what in the name of StarClan Birchsong and Palefoot were doing.

They were wrapped around each other so tightly Glosskit thought they were one cat. They were purring quietly, and Birchsong nibbled Palefoot's ear playfully. She flicked her tail at his flank. Then, they retreated into a large clump of ferns, hidden from the kits' view. What was happening? Wasn't Birchsong _Silverstripe's_ mate?

"Stormkit, what's happening?" Glosskit whispered. He turned to her, his golden eyes full of tears.

"You didn't hear? Birchsong is in love with Palefoot!"

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 **Ooh, bet you didn't expect _that_ plot twist! Again, please review!**

 **QOTC: Where do you think Silverstripe was while all this drama was happening?**

 **See ya!**


	5. The Dark Cat

**Hey everyone! OMG, I now have 8 reviews! Yay! Thanks to Kai Lover911 again, and here's my responses:**

 **Pandean-Thanks for your reviews! Yes, it's disgusting, so that's kinda why it's rated T! Birchsong is pretty two-timing!**

 **ReadingAnimeLover-Yes, you can submit OCs for my fanfic! I'll choose the ones I like best. Just PM me/type in a review their name, description, and role you would like in my fanfic.**

 **lillypoppy43-Well, the kits already looked there, so she's not exactly in the nursery, as you will see in this chapter...**

 **letusdance-Nah, Silverstripe is a _good_ she-cat who _doesn't_ cheat on her mate. But nice idea, though!**

 **Okay, onto the story...this chapter may not be as good because I failed to edit.**

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Glosskit stood at the top of the rock, stunned. Stormkit's words didn't process through her mind. _Birchsong. In love. With Palefoot._

"But why?" Ashkit asked, interrupting Glosskit's thoughts.

"He said Palefoot was like a ray of sunshine…and Silverstripe was just a random fling," Stormkit explained.

"A _fling_?" Glosskit asked in disbelief. "But…they've been together for moons now! Silverstripe said so!"

"Well, maybe she was a really long fling," Ashkit meowed.

"This is so disgusting," Glosskit meowed. "Now, if you don't mind, I will look for Silverstripe on my own." She clambered down the rock and stomped off with her nose in the air.

Stormkit quickly followed, and Ashkit was close at his heels. Glosskit scented something new. She recoiled. Even as a moon-old kit, she recognized the scent of blood.

"Whose blood do you think it is?" Glosskit whispered, following the scent.

"Maybe an enemy warrior?" Stormkit suggested.

"Ooh! We could play Scavenger and find him, then pretend to rescue him but actually bring him to Rosestar!" Ashkit squealed excitedly. Encouraged by the prospect of being heroes, they followed the scent. The ended up breaking through a wall of ferns and entering a clearing. There were trees circling the clearing, surrounding something in the middle of it.

They could never un-see what they saw next.

Silverstripe, beautiful, brave, Silverstripe, was lying on the grass in a pool of blood.

And standing next to her prone body was a black tom with a stinky scent. His jaws were covered in blood. He saw the kits and cackled.

"More prey for me? Wonderful!" The cat pounced.

Glosskit and Stormkit successfully dove away on time. Ashkit was a bit slow and the cat's jaws latched around her hind leg. Ashkit tried to wiggle out of his grip, but he clamped down firmly.

"Glosskit! Stormkit! Help!" Ashkit wailed. The cat laughed.

"No one will help you now," he hissed. His jaws were about to close on Ashkit's neck, but suddenly, Silverstripe, who was supposedly dead, stood up and leaped on the cat's back. Quick as lightning, she dragged the cat off Ashkit, who shivered feebly. They were now batting, claws and blood flying all over the place. Glosskit ran to Ashkit's prone body and licked her gently.

"Ashkit, are you okay?" Glosskit meowed, concerned.

"I think so. But my leg, oh Glosskit, it hurts…so much!" she wailed. Glosskit's attention snapped to Ashkit's leg, which had teeth marks in it and was pooling blood.

"Okay, first we need to clean it," Glosskit said, forcing herself to remain calm. She gently licked Ashkit's hurt leg. Ashkit screeched and nearly clawed Glosskit's face.

"Sorry," she mumbled. Stormkit, who snapped out of his daze rushed over to Ashkit.

"It's okay," he meowed smoothly. "You'll be just fine. The medicine cat will fix you up, and we'll all be happy." Raising his head, he let out the most ferocious and the loudest howl Glosskit ever heard. He kept howling while Silverstripe battled with the cat. But she couldn't keep her speed for long. She was still a queen, and her battle skills were rusty at best. Her strikes and leaps were getting slower and sloppier, and she was getting more and more injured. Help had to come, and fast.

Without thinking twice, Glosskit shrieked as loud as she could, "HELP US!"

For a few seconds, nothing seemed to happen. Then she heard paw steps. Slowly, the paw steps got louder, and Birchsong, Palefoot, and Raingaze burst into the clearing. They immediately helped Silverstripe. Birchsong dragged the cat off her, while Palefoot and Raingaze slashed him. The kits stood in shock. Suddenly, the cat rose into the air.

"You might have beaten me this time, but I'll always be watching," he hissed. Then he just disappeared.

The kits screamed. The warriors acted like this was nothing new. Birchsong's face was grim.

"Silverstripe, are you okay?" he asked, his voice suddenly full of love and concern. He started licking Silverstripe's matted and bloody fur. Silverstripe didn't shake him off. She looked dazed and scared. Glosskit narrowed her eyes. What on earth was happening now? Was Birchsong going to play pretend-love to Silverstripe?

"Yes, I'm fine," Silverstripe managed to get out, before collapsing on the ground.

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 **Oooh, drama again! What's up with Birchsong? Which couple do you ship better, Birchsong x Silverstripe or Birchsong x Palefoot? I will probably post a Birchsong x Palefoot one-shot about her apprentice moons. You'll see their backstory...then you can tell me who you ship. One-shot is coming up in probably a week!**

 **QOTC: Why do you think Birchsong "loves" Palefoot?**

 **See you later! Bye!**

 **~Glossfur**


	6. A Peek into ThunderClan

**Hey y'all! I updated again! After a long while, because I was super discouraged. Only Kai Lover911 bothered to review my last chapter, so yeah. And no, Silverstripe isn't dead. Yet. Be warned; this chapter may or may not suck because I was too busy to edit. I've got a bunch of stuff going on. I have 4 hours of chess every single day, Tae Kwon Do, and other summer activities like taking my grandparents to the park and stuff. So yeah. Enjoy!**

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"Come on, Oakkit! Hurry up!" Quailkit called. Her eyes sparkled as she saw Oakkit blearily stumble out of the nursery.

"Quailkit, it's dawn. I'm tired. Everyone's tired. What do you want?" he asked, yawning.

"I wanna show you something. I made it just for you!" Quailkit squealed. She ran to a clump of leaves and pulled something out. It was a branch, artfully decorated with colorful flowers.

"Wow! It's beautiful! Just like you!" Oakkit exclaimed. He nuzzled Quailkit affectionately. She purred.

"Silly! Nobody needs to know about our relationship!" Quailkit hissed, even though nearly all the Clan knew about Oakkit and Quailkit's "relationship". Everyone assumed it was just a kit-affection thing, but Oakkit knew it was real, true love. He'd known Quailkit for five moons, ever since the day he opened his eyes, and five moons was obviously enough time to fall in love.

Oakkit purred and entwined his tail with Quailkit's. "What should we play today?" he asked, looking into her clear purple eyes. He had no idea cats could have purple eyes, but Quailkit was an exception. They sparkled like a thousand suns, and he loved it. Just as much as he loved her in general.

"Why don't you two go somewhere else to play. The real warriors need to do some work," a deep voice came from behind the two kits. They whirled around and saw Thrushstar, the leader of ThunderClan. He was staring at them with mild amusement, his whiskers twitching as he tried not to laugh at Quailkit's present for Oakkit.

"But we really wanna help!" Oakkit piped up.

"You'd be more of a liability than a help," Thrushstar growled good-naturedly. Oakkit liked Thrushstar because he never seemed to be angry about anything. Unlike the grumpy Fogpelt. Oakkit could've sworn the senior warrior had ants under his pelt or something; he was always mad, snappish, and impatient. And speaking of Fogpelt, he was just walking up to Thrushstar.

"Thrushstar, we've made repairs to the elder's den, but we still need to work on the apprentice's den and the warrior's den." Then he saw the two kits, staring at him stoically. "And you, kits, stay out of our way, okay?" he asked grumpily, padding away.

"If you two really want to help, why don't you protect the camp for us while we are fixing the dens?" Thrushstar meowed kindly. He also walked away to where the warriors were fixing the dens.

"Come on, let's protect the camp!" Oakkit meowed excitedly. He took off running towards the entrance of the RiverClan camp, Quailkit close at his heels. They skidded to a stop and sat with their tails wrapped neatly around their paws, waiting for an enemy to burst into camp.

"I can't believe the storm only affect our Clan!" Oakkit heard Stonepaw groan as he dragged branches to fix the dens. "I mean, why not WindClan? StarClan knows they could use some water pouring on them! Those mouse-brains, thinking they could steal our prey!"

"Well, at least no one died and no one got injured," his sister, Grasspaw, meowed in return. Unlike Stonepaw, Grasspaw was quiet, polite, and very nice. Stonepaw, on the other hand, was full of himself, loud, and rude. It was rather hard to believe they were related. Oakkit snorted.

Quailkit looked at him weirdly. "Is something funny?" she asked in her pretty, soft voice.

"Isn't it weird how Grasspaw and Stonepaw are related?" he asked, looking at Quailkit.

She purred. "They're about as similar to each other as ThunderClan is to RiverClan!"

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Glosskit was playing with the other kits. They were playing Cat and Mouse, and Glosskit was stuck as the mouse. Again.

"It's just because you're the smallest," Stormkit explained, as if it could explain all the discrimination she received. She didn't think RiverClan could be so hostile towards a kit, but _nooooo_! Just because she was the weakest kit in the Clan (she couldn't beat any of the other kits in play-fights, even Quailflight's two-moon old kits) didn't mean she was entirely useless. She could scent things from afar, but everyone overlooked that ability.

Glosskit decided that she had enough of being mouse, so she excused herself from the game (not that anybody cared) and went to the medicine cat den to visit Silverstripe and Ashkit.

Glosskit remembered that fatal night as clearly as if it were yesterday, even though it had been nearly a week. She remembered every single detail, right to the evil cat's voice and eye color and body shape. She remembered where the attack took place. She remembered Ashkit's blood-curdling scream as the tom bit into her leg so hard he scraped her bone. She remembered her brave mother fighting off that evil cat. Worst of all, she remembered seeing her father, her noble, kind, gentle father cheating on her mother with a warrior barely out of apprentice training. It was a rough night, to say the least.

Silverstripe was fatally wounded that night. It had taken Birchsong, Palefoot, and Raingaze to drag Silverstripe to camp. Glosskit and Stormkit had to support Ashkit as she limped on three feet.

Glosskit remembered Ashkit's horrified face the very next day when she awoke when she found out that the evil tom had injured her so badly, she would never be able to be a warrior. Her sister had cried all night. Glosskit comforted her all night. Her heart broke for her crippled sister.

There were questions arising about how Silverstripe got so injured, but they vanished immediately after Birchsong's cold glare. Glosskit was glad she wasn't too involved in the drama, even though she was asked by Rosestar herself why she and her littermates were out of the camp at such a late time. She had told Rosestar that they were just exploring when they scented blood. Surprisingly enough, Rosestar believed them.

As Glosskit entered the medicine cat den, she saw Silverstripe and Ashkit lying side-by-side. They were both sleeping. Cobwebs were all over Silverstripe's body, while Ashkit's hind leg was completely covered in cobwebs.

"How are they?" Glosskit asked Ravenpelt.

He shook his head sadly. "Silverstripe is in critical condition. She's barely breathing. She woke up a few minutes ago to ask for Birchsong. But he never visited her in the first place." Glosskit barely refrained from hissing at her father.

"Ashkit is okay. She's heartbroken at the fact that she won't be a warrior, but thanks to her friends like you, she'll be okay," Ravenpelt finished.

"Thanks," Glosskit meowed, and scampered out of the den. She nearly ran into a wall of fur. No, wait…it was Birchsong. He was heading into the medicine cat den.

"Glosskit! How are they?" Birchsong asked, sounding like a caring mate. Glosskit snorted.

"It's not like you care. Even though you're the deputy, you should still have time to visit your sick family," Glosskit replied. Birchsong's face hardened.

"Now, just because you are my daughter doesn't mean I won't punish you for that sassy attitude. I want to visit my family and you're accusing me of not caring?" Birchsong growled.

"Well, duh. Ravenpelt says you haven't visited all week! Silverstripe and Ashkit need you! Palefoot can wait!" Glosskit hissed. Seeing Birchsong's face, she knew she said too much.

He got all up close and personal in her face. "Now, I have no idea how you found out, nor do I want to know, but what I do with Palefoot has nothing to do with you, Silverstripe, or anybody else," he meowed in a dangerous tone. What happened to the kind, caring father? He was replaced with a disloyal, mean tom.

"Oh, sure. It has nothing to do with Silverstripe, because you obviously aren't cheating on her!" Glosskit screeched. She attracted a few glares, but nothing more.

Birchsong's muzzle twitched in anger. Hissing, he stalked off into the medicine cat den.

 _Well, that went well,_ Glosskit thought angrily. Flicking her tail in frustration, she padded into the nursery. Since she was now old enough to eat fresh-kill, Silverstripe's injury didn't really affect her eating habits.

Sighing, she slowly collapsed on the empty nest that was once Silverstripe's. She sorely wished life could be how it used to be, with Birchsong as a loving father and Silverstripe uninjured.

If she thought things would get better, though, she was sorely mistaken.

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 **Soooooo...will things get better? I will try to update more frequently, so yeah. And you got a glimpse of Oakkit's life in ThunderClan, which, BTW, seems waaaay more awesome than life in RiverClan. Thrushstar is da man! Anyway, please review! I've gotten favorites and I appreciate that, but reviewing shows how popular my story is. So yeah, if everyone who read this would review, I'd be super popular by now. So try to review! Please and thanks!**

 **PS. I take constructive criticism, but NO cussing, vulgarity, or rude spam (Example: _aghjifnajsfdgjkd_ is not a good review. However, _I think you should improve your word choice_ is a constructive review). And yes, I really should improve my word choice. **

**TRIVIA TIME: Who was Sorreltail's father? (yes, I know, this is from the real Warriors series, but I thought it would be fun to see how many people know) And no peeking!**

 **QOTC: Birchsong: good or bad?**

 **Thanks for reading! Love, Gloss**


	7. A Horrible Mentor

**Welcome back to another chapter of Living in the Shadow! I can't believe I have 19 reviews! Thanks to everyone who reviewed.**

 **Cotton Candy Mareep: Thank you so much for taking time to type out that really long review! I really appreciate it!**

 **Kai Lover911: Thanks for reviewing!**

 **A Special Guest: Thanks for reviewing!**

 **To everyone else who got the trivia question right (basically everyone): free plushies of Whitestorm! Yay!**

* * *

Glosskit could hardly believe that today was her, Ashkit's, and Stormkit's apprentice ceremony. For one, she was still too weak and too small. Other kits were way bigger than she was, and they never let her forget. And for another, Ashkit wasn't going to be made a warrior apprentice. Instead, she would be a medicine cat apprentice. Glosskit thought it would be very amusing to see three medicine cats running around the Clan, saving everyone's lives, but she realized that Ravenpelt was getting older and Finchtail would soon be the main medicine cat.

Birchsong was still ignoring his kits, as usual. Silverstripe's condition got better, but when Glosskit tried to visit her, it wasn't very pretty. Silverstripe was very upset that her mate hadn't visited her in the past moon. Glosskit tried to ask her about her and Birchsong's relationship, but Silverstripe just hissed, "It's none of your business." Glosskit remembered what she had done right after that. She went to the elder's den to try to find out more about Birchsong's past.

" _Now, now, young'un, you can't be so nosy about your parents' relationship," Treeface had said._

" _Oh, come on, she has a right to know, after all, she is his daughter," Goldeneyes meowed. "Look, Glosskit, Birchsong…well, let's say that he was a bit of a player in his youth. He kind of broke a lot of she-cats' hearts."_

" _But then how did he become deputy?" Glosskit asked. "Surely Rosestar wouldn't appoint a disloyal cat as deputy."_

" _Well, I'm the only one who knows. You see, I was Birchsong's mother. I saw him acting funny one day. He wandered off into the forest after everyone was asleep. Well, everyone except me. I followed him and caught him get very up close and personal with a WindClan she-cat. I was obviously shocked, because, you know, I thought Birchsong was perfect and everything, but I dismissed the thought._ Maybe he's trying to help RiverClan by getting information from WindClan _, I had thought to myself that day. But then I saw him flirting with other she-cats from different Clans at Gatherings. He had always been a charmer in his apprentice days. I remember many RiverClan apprentices totally head over heels for him. I never realized what a player personality he had," Goldeneyes meowed sadly. Glosskit was shocked. She never knew Birchsong had such a disgusting past. How many she-cats were hurt because of his actions?_

" _Did any of his…er…crushes get, you know, uh, expecting?" Glosskit had asked worriedly. She certainly did not want half siblings in ShadowClan, ThunderClan,_ and _WindClan!_

" _Not as I know of. Now, why are you asking this?" Goldeneyes meowed suspiciously._

" _Why did you tell me this? Because it's important," Glosskit replied. Goldeneyes looked at her funnily._

" _Well, if you say so. Off you go, just don't tell anyone, especially not Silverstripe. She's already heartbroken as it is with Birchsong not visiting her," Goldeneyes meowed._

* * *

Glosskit was disgusted that Birchsong was her father. She saw him nuzzling Palefoot every day, but not long enough for anyone to suspect anything. Glosskit and her littermates knew better. Stormkit had suggested attacking Palefoot, but Glosskit knew that they would get in big trouble. They had asked Ashkit (who was released from the medicine cat den and was limping on three legs) for some input, and she agreed with Glosskit.

"She-cats! They're so scared all the time!" Stormkit growled.

Glosskit snorted. "Well, at least I didn't run away screaming when dead fish fell on top of me," she meowed sarcastically. A hunting patrol brought lots of fish back because it was Green-leaf and hunting was good. Yellowriver, the leader of the patrol, had lots of fish in his mouth. Stormkit was standing by the fresh-kill pile because he was so hungry. Yellowriver had accidently dropped his fish right on top of Stormkit, who promptly freaked out and thought he was being eaten alive. It was a hilarious sight. Even Rosestar was crying of laughter. Only Birchsong and Palefoot were absent, and StarClan knew where _they_ were going.

"That was one time!" Stormkit protested.

"But you have to admit, bro, it was a staple of RiverClan history," Ashkit joked.

"Shut up," Stormkit growled good-naturedly. At that moment, it seemed that everything would be okay. Maybe life didn't have to be so miserable. If Glosskit could forget about Birchsong, then maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't be so overwhelmed every day.

* * *

"Stormkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Stormpaw. Your mentor will be Applefur. Rosestar meowed. "Applefur, you have proven yourself strong and intelligent, and I hope you will pass these qualities to Stormpaw." Stormpaw licked Rosestar's shoulder and touched Applefur's scarred muzzle. Glosskit felt a twinge of jealousy. Applefur was the strongest cat in RiverClan. Glosskit hoped she had a decent mentor.

"Ashkit, you have reached the age of six moons as well. You will be known as Ashpaw until you receive your medicine cat name. Your mentor will be Finchtail. The Clan wishes you a successful medicine cat career," Rosestar continued. Ashpaw licked Rosestar's shoulder and touched noses with Finchtail. She would be traveling to the Moonpool later that moon. Rosestar turned around and headed into her den.

Glosskit felt confusion. Was there a mistake? Why wasn't she being apprenticed? Her Clanmates didn't seem to worry. They were yowling Stormpaw and Ashpaw's names like they survived a war or something. Nobody was whispering, "What about Glosskit?"

"Aww, poor little Prettykit didn't become an apprentice," a voice dripping with sarcasm said. Glosskit didn't even have to turn around to know it was Palefoot. Palefoot had also been bullying her after she realized Glosskit knew about her and Birchsong's affair. Glosskit didn't see why. She wasn't going to tell anyone. Yet.

"Go away. I'm going to ask her why right now," Glosskit meowed bravely. She tried to walk to Rosestar's den, but a paw clamped her tail down. Curse long tails!

Glosskit felt Palefoot's breath in her ear. "Don't tell anyone, or else you won't live to regret it," she hissed.

"I wasn't going to anyway. I may not like this affair going on, but Birchsong is still the deputy. There'd be a whole lot of distrust if his little secret were to get out," Glosskit hissed back.

Palefoot released Glosskit's tail. For a second, she forgot why she was headed towards Rosestar's den. Then she realized that she still needed to ask Rosestar why she hadn't been made an apprentice like her littermates.

Marching through the lichen, Glosskit said in a strong-ish voice, "Rosestar! May I PLEASE talk to you?"

Rosestar was talking quietly to her beloved deputy, Birchsong, about battle strategies. Rosestar and Birchsong both shot her dirty looks. Birchsong looked at Rosestar, who nodded for him to get out.

As Birchsong exited the den, he purposely shoved Glosskit. Not enough for Rosestar to notice, but enough to piss her off.

"What do you want?" Rosestar meowed lazily.

"I…uh, well I was actually w-wondering why I wasn't made an apprentice," Glosskit tried meowing steadily. Her voice quivered and cracked at the end of her sentence.

"Isn't it obvious? Everyone thinks you're too weak to become an apprentice. I can't make the Clan angry," Rosestar said, as if it could explain everything.

"What about making _me_ angry?" Glosskit burst out. "I mean, I'm sick and tired of dealing with everyone saying I'm too weak without giving me a chance! So I might be small and frail, big deal!"

Rosestar looked at Glosskit thoughtfully. "Okay. So you want to be made an apprentice. You do realize, though, if I make you one, you must surprise everyone. You must be stronger than you are now. Can I count on you to try your hardest to be strong?"

"Of course you can. Anything for me to be normal," Glosskit replied. She felt a wave of relief. She was going to become an apprentice like her littermates! Yay!

"Then follow me," Rosestar meowed. She walked out of her den, Glosskit following.

"Let every cat old enough to catch their own prey come beneath the Tall Rock for this extra announcement," Rosestar called. Cats padded curiously underneath the Tall Rock, wondering why there was another announcement after the apprentice ceremony. Glosskit rolled her eyes at her shallow Clanmates.

"This kit has reached the age of six moons as well as her littermates, and has proven to me that she deserves to become an apprentice," Rosestar meowed. She looked at Glosskit.

"Glosskit, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Glosspaw. Your mentor will be…" Glosspaw held her breath. Who would be her mentor? Maybe Tallfoot...he was also thin and wiry for a RiverClan cat. Or maybe even Yellowriver.

"…Palefoot," Rosestar finally said. Glosspaw and Palefoot gasped. What in the name of StarClan was Rosestar playing at? Didn't she realize the hostile glares Palefoot had been sending Glosspaw? At this very moment, Glosspaw deeply regretted talking to Rosestar about becoming an apprentice. She wished she could crawl under a rock and die.

"Palefoot, although you are a new warrior, you have proven yourself loyal"—Glosspaw snorted. _Loyal my butt_ — "and intelligent. I hope you will pass these qualities to Glosspaw."

"Certainly, Rosestar," Palefoot said wickedly, touching noses with Glosspaw.

 _I've been shot to the Dark Forest,_ Glosspaw thought miserably.

"Glosspaw! Glosspaw!" a few scattered voices called. Birchsong called her name loudly, acting like he was _so happy_ for his wonderful kit.

* * *

 **The next chapter will be up in a few minutes. This document was originally 7 pages so I decided to cut it in half. How did you feel about Glosspaw becoming Palefoot's apprentice? I hope it was an exciting plot twist (kind of).**

 **Thanks for reading, as always. I appreciate reviews. I love all of you! Mwah!**

 **~Glossfur**


	8. She Really Hates Me

**I've got the Allegiances for RiverClan here! I was too lazy to come up with cat names for the other Clans. If you want your OC to appear in the other Clans, please PM me with your OC's name, description, personality, and which Clan it belongs to. I'll try to use everyone's if I get any requests! And if you don't have an account, you can just suggest a name. Onto the story!**

* * *

"Well, let's go, brat," Palefoot said.

"Thanks for the consideration," Glosspaw replied. She was still silently fuming at being Palefoot's apprentice. It was clear Rosestar was setting her up for failure. If Rosestar truly cared, she would have given Glosspaw a decent mentor who didn't just have their warrior ceremony.

"You think I asked for this? It's not like Rosestar warned me I would be getting a hopeless case," Palefoot growled.

"Well, let's just explore the territories and act like we're besties, okay?" Glosspaw growled. She walked out of the camp entrance with her head held high. She heard Palefoot grumble as she followed.

"Okay, you little twerp. Let's explore the territory, then we'll see borders, and if there's enough time, we can hunt," Palefoot said monotone-like, as if she had been rehearsing what to say.

"Sounds exciting," Glosspaw replied. Palefoot showed her around the RiverClan territory.

"There's the lake, and the Half-bridge, and some two-legs sitting on those weird thingies…here's the Lakeshore, here's some streams to fish, blah blah blah," Palefoot said, leading Glosspaw around.

"Very informative. I can tell why Rosestar chose you to be my mentor," Glosspaw said sarcastically.

"You cheeky little brat!" Palefoot meowed furiously.

"Can we just see the borders?" Glosspaw asked impatiently. They went to the ShadowClan border first. It was extremely smelly.

"Ok, this is ShadowClan's border," Palefoot said, sounding bored. She looked into the distance and her eyes widened. "Crap, ShadowClan patrol coming!" A group of cats carrying the same stinky smell approached the border.

"Greetings, Palefoot," a tall, thin cat said.

"Mottledpelt," Palefoot said, dipping her head in mock respect. Glosspaw had to admit: Palefoot was doing a pretty good job at pissing the ShadowClan cats off.

"Who is this little cat with you? Your kit?" Mottledpelt sneered.

"Oh, this is just my useless apprentice, Glosspaw," Palefoot said disdainfully.

"An apprentice already?" another cat meowed in surprise.

"It wasn't my idea. Rosestar just assigned her to me," Palefoot whined.

"Well, congratulations, Palefoot," Mottledpelt meowed. "We'll be going now." The cats turned around. Suddenly, Palefoot shoved Glosspaw over the border on ShadowClan's side.

"Glosspaw, come back!" Palefoot cried as Glosspaw got up.

"What in the name of StarClan are you doing?" Glosspaw hissed. The ShadowClan patrol turned around and saw Glosspaw on their side of the border.

"Mutiny!" Mottledpelt growled. He leaped on top of Glosspaw, who rolled away in the nick of time. She panicked. There were about four angry ShadowClan cats ready to fight, and she had absolutely no battle training at all.

"Glosspaw, why are you on their side of the border?" Palefoot cried, acting like Glosspaw just _crossed_ the border for no good reason.

"You…you pushed me!" Glosspaw cried. The four cats were twitching their whiskers in anger.

"How dare you allow your apprentice to cross the border! You should know better, Palefoot!" Mottledpelt growled.

"I swear to StarClan; I didn't ask her to! She just…did!" Palefoot cried.

Without any warning, another cat pinned Glosspaw down when she was still seething at Palefoot's lie.

"Ouch! Jeez, it's my first day out as an apprentice, and you just clawed me!" Glosspaw complained.

"Let her go, Stonepaw, we'll take her to Jaystar," Mottledpelt said. The cat released Glosspaw.

"Palefoot, tell Rosestar that she can't have irresponsible apprentices anymore," Mottledpelt warned.

"Yes, I will," Palefoot said, faking concern. "Be careful, will you, Glosspaw?" Glosspaw heard the scorn in her voice but nodded anyway.

"Okay, let's go," Mottledpelt said, dragging Glosspaw into the heart of ShadowClan.

* * *

 **Allegiances**

 **RiverClan**

Leader: Rosestar—white she-cat with light pink paws and deep gray eyes

Deputy: Birchsong—brown tom with a bushy tail

Medicine cats: Ravenpelt—little black tom with one green eye and one blue eye

Finchtail—sand-colored she-cat with violet eyes

Apprentice: Ashpaw

 **Warriors**

Rabbitleg—pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a twisted front paw

Jaywing—blue-black tom with a gray-specked pelt

Tallfoot—white tabby tom with extremely long legs

Apprentice—Moonpaw

Mintstem—white she-cat with pale green specks on her pelt

Applefur—reddish-brown tom with a battle-scarred muzzle

Apprentice—Stormpaw

Morningshine—bright cream-colored she-cat with a very fluffy pelt

Sage—former kittypet with a dark green pelt

Apprentice—Goldpaw

Yellowriver—yellow tom with brown paws

Grayflower—light gray she-cat with blue eyes

Petalheart—white she-cat with flower-shaped specks on her pelt

Raingaze—white tom with blue eyes

Palefoot—pale gray she-cat with brown eyes

Apprentice—Glosspaw

Dovepelt-fluffy gray she-cat

Silverstripe-silver she-cat with black markings

 **Queens**

Quailflight—gray she-cat with black specks and yellow eyes (Mate: Jaywing)

Kits: Poppykit, Firekit, and Blackkit

 **Apprentices**

Moonpaw—blue she-cat

Goldpaw—golden colored she-cat with a white tail-tip

Stormpaw—light gray tom with gray eyes

Ashpaw—dark gray she-cat with gray eyes

Glosspaw—black she-cat with brown eyes

 **Elders**

Treeface—dark brown tabby tom with a textured battle-scarred face

Goldeneyes—formerly pretty she-cat with a dappled pelt

 **ShadowClan**

Leader: Jaystar—brown tom with a mottled pelt

Deputy: Frogtail—greenish black tom with a sleek pelt

Medicine cat: Rivernose—light orange she-cat

 **WindClan**

Leader: Poppystar—tortoiseshell she-cat

Deputy: Bluepelt—bluish grey she-cat

Medicine cat: Hailstorm—white tom with black specks on his pelt

 **ThunderClan**

Leader: Redstar—reddish brown tom

Deputy: Silvermoon—silver colored tabby she-cat

Medicine cat: Nettlesting—brown tom

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed! It was pretty dramatic and mean of Palefoot, but then again, she hates the kits. Anyway, I have 19 reviews so far. The twentieth reviewer gets a one-shot of their choice OC and a free Birchsong voo-doo doll (lol, jk, you get a Glosspaw plushie). So please review! See you soon!**

 **~Gloss**


	9. You Are Why My Life is a Mess

**Wassup, my readers! The winner of their one-shot choice is...Kai Lover911! Congrats! You were the 20th reviewer and have won a one-shot of your choice and a Birchsong voodoo doll OR Glosspaw plushie. You can PM me for more details.**

 **Anyway, I know I'm supposed to have a section dedicated to responding to reviews, but practically no one reviewed...:(**

 **Cotton Candy Mareep: Thank you again for typing that extremely long review! I really appreciate it!**

 **Wishbone: aww, thanks for your reviews!**

 **Onto the chapter!**

* * *

Glosspaw wondered why ShadowClan would go through all the hassle of bringing a troublesome RiverClan apprentice into their camp. ShadowClan sure seemed pretty…clingy to their territory. Judging from the patrol's behavior today, Glosspaw guessed that something similar had happened to them a while ago. But instead of reacting so seriously, they let it slide and were ambushed. But that didn't mean they had to react so seriously when she was pushed across the border!

Glosspaw growled. Palefoot was just a piece of frog-dung! Why was she so stupid? Didn't she know Birchsong was probably going to break her heart? She seemed oblivious to the fact that he had a mate, which made Glosspaw even more irritated.

"Shut up!" Stonepaw growled. Glosspaw didn't realize she was growling and stopped.

With her heightened senses, she could smell ShadowClan stronger now. It smelled like crowfood. What did those cats eat? Finally, they reached the camp. The two warriors carrying her dropped her on the ground. She stayed laying there, not bothering to stand up. Her limbs were sprawled out and her head lay on the grass like she was dead.

"Get up!" Stonepaw hissed, kicking her with his hind leg. She yowled when she realized that his claws were unsheathed.

"Oh my StarClan! Are you insane?" she yelped. "I mean, it's my first time out of camp and you kidnap me? Seriously, we weren't going to ambush you or anything!" She felt blood trickle down her flank and on the ground, but she did not complain.

Mottledpelt boxed her ears. "You will learn to speak when told to!" he hissed.

"Why? I'm not ShadowClan!" she retorted, feeling a lot braver than she should have.

"No, but you need to be disciplined. That's something your mentor clearly hasn't taught you!" another cat hissed.

"Well, it was my first day of apprenticeship. And I'm not sure if Palefoot could teach me anything, much less discipline," Glosspaw said, feeling very angry and frustrated. Why wouldn't the ShadowClan cats just let her go already?

Mottledpelt stared at her with amazement before shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm going to tell Jaystar," he said like a kit who was tattling.

"See if I care," Glosspaw snorted. Mottledpelt growled and stomped into Jaystar's den. The other two warriors got some fresh-kill and sat in the middle of the camp, eating. Stormpaw stood watching her.

"So, who are your parents?" he asked casually, flicking his tail across her shoulders. Glosspaw glared at his and shook his tail off. She hated to admit it, but it was really soft.

"Birchsong and Silverstripe," she growled without looking at him.

"Any littermates?" he continued to interrogate her. She glared at him and saw him batting his eyes flirtatiously. _Bleugh, it's just like Birchsong had a kit in ShadowClan,_ Glosspaw thought angrily.

"Two," she said coolly. "Now shut up."

"Ooh, you are one spicy character, aren't you?" he asked teasingly.

"Sure," Glosspaw replied, her temper very short. Why wasn't Jaystar coming out of his den to, like, punish her? Was making a very irritating apprentice who was also annoying handsome flirt with her his form of punishment? She was only six moons old, for crying out loud!

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, Jaystar walked out of his den, followed by Mottledpelt.

"Mottledpelt told me you crossed the border to stir up a fight," Jaystar growled. "And I will not tolerate with this kind of behavior."

Glosspaw opened her mouth to defend herself but realized it would be no use. How could she explain that the only reason Palefoot hated her was because she knew about her father's inappropriate affair? It would sure give ShadowClan a lot of leverage against RiverClan.

So instead of lashing out and screaming, "It's was Palefoot's fault!", Glosspaw took a deep breath and said in the calmest voice she could muster, "I was just…er…curious about ShadowClan. I've heard many nursery tales about its greatness and when we were next to the ShadowClan border…I didn't really think straight." Glosspaw cringed inside at her horrible explanation. "And, uh, I'm only six moons old and it was my first time out of camp, so, er, if you were to punish me…um, could you not, like, torture me?" Glosspaw squeaked out. Her emotions comprised of fear, anger, and more fear.

Jaystar looked at her weirdly, his whiskers twitching. Glosspaw had a feeling he was trying not to laugh.

"Well, I suppose we could make an exception this time," he grunted. "Mottledpelt, escort her back to the border." Mottledpelt flicked his tail for Glosspaw to follow as he walked out of camp.

"Thank you so much," she said quickly, remembering her manners. She ran after Mottledpelt before Jaystar could think of a gruesome punishment.

* * *

"Now, remember, don't even think about crossing the border again," Mottledpelt hissed at her. Glosspaw nodded, thankful to be in RiverClan territory safe and sound. It was about midday. With luck, she could make it back to camp before sunset so she could explain to Rosestar what happened. Mottledpelt turned around and headed back into ShadowClan.

Glosspaw couldn't believe she was thinking this, but ShadowClan wasn't too different than RiverClan. Other than a lot of pine trees covering up the sun and the horrid smell, the camp was set up the same way, and warriors interacted with each other the same way.

Glosspaw made her way back to camp, trying to remember the route Palefoot took when showing her the ShadowClan border.

 _Okay, there's the tall willow…um, was there a bush? Oh yeah, there's that little stump,_ Glosspaw though, navigating the territory. Soon, she scented a stronger RiverClan scent, but knew she was much too far from camp to smell it. As she sniffed the air again, she realized that she was scenting a patrol. _Maybe one to look for me?_ she thought hopefully.

She then saw Birchsong, Tallfoot, Palefoot, and Mintstem sniffing the air as well.

"Her scent is stronger now," Tallfoot said to Birchsong.

Birchsong tasted the air. "You're right! Maybe she's close by!"

"Impossible. I saw ShadowClan take her!" Palefoot exclaimed. Glosspaw refrained from hissing and hid in a bush to hide from the patrol and watch them. She wanted to see how hard they would try to find her.

"Well, maybe ShadowClan let her go with a warning," Mintstem suggested.

"Fat chance. I told her not to cross the border, and now look what we're doing! Looking for an irresponsible apprentice!" Palefoot ranted. Glosspaw unsheathed her claws, digging into the soft soil beneath her.

"Well, I guess we just have to wait till tomorrow," Tallfoot said. "I don't want to waste any more time." The others nodded in agreement, even Birchsong.

 _I bet if the other apprentices had gotten snatched by ShadowClan, they would have stomped into the camp to ask for them!_ Glosspaw thought furiously. Not being able to take it anymore, she stepped out of the bush just as the patrol was about to turn around.

"Uh, was anyone looking for me?" she asked innocently.

Birchsong turned around. "Glosspaw!" he said, sounding extremely relieved.

"What happened? Why did you cross the ShadowClan border?" Palefoot demanded.

"Oh, I thought I felt a slight shove behind me, and I stumbled across their border," Glosspaw replied calmly. "But then again, maybe I was too busy spacing off and thinking about that cute ShadowClan tom on that patrol and forgot where my feet went," she added, glaring at Palefoot.

Palefoot bared her teeth at Glosspaw, but it was Mintstem who replied.

"Well, thank StarClan you're alright. I mean, the whole Clan was…uh, worried about you!" she said, not sounding very convincing. Glosspaw knew that Mintstem was probably the only one who was worried about her. Mintstem was the nicest cat in RiverClan, and Glosspaw admired her kindness. But she couldn't help cringing at her bad lie.

"It's okay, don't lie to me," Glosspaw said shortly. "Are we going or not?"

Tallfoot looked at Glosspaw strangely but nodded, and the patrol set off to return back to camp.

* * *

Nobody swarmed around Glosspaw. Nobody asked what ShadowClan was like. Glosspaw was actually kind of relieved. She didn't want to try to get a piece of fresh-kill while fighting through a crowd of nosy cats.

As soon as the patrol entered the camp, the cats dispersed and went to do their own thing. Birchsong and Palefoot brushed pelts in front of Glosspaw, just to annoy her. She growled but selected a nice, plump carp from the fresh-kill pile. She settled down beneath a tall willow tree to eat in peace. As Birchsong and Palefoot exited the camp to do something, she started ripping huge pieces from the carp and chewing it, SMACK, SMACK, SMACK, thinking that the carp was Palefoot.

 _You stinkin' liar!_ SMACK.

 _I hate you!_ SMACK.

 _You're part of the reason why my life is such a mess!_ SMACK.

 _Tearing our family apart! GAH!_ SMACK.

Glosspaw looked down on her carp to see it basically…well, destroyed. The meaty flesh was ripped to pieces, and scales were all over the place. The carp's head was a gruesome sight as well.

 _Well, this is embarrassing,_ Glosspaw thought. She looked around to see if anyone saw her. Nope. She decided that she might as well finish the carp, even though it looked disgusting. She began to slowly chew the meat, savoring the rich, fatty taste. Once she finished, she buried the bones and stretched.

 _I wonder what my littermates are up to?_ she wondered. Her question was quickly answered as the reeds that covered the entrance to the camp ruffled. Stormpaw was carrying three fish, while Applefur was strutting behind him proudly.

 _I bet he's going to be the star of the Clan now,_ Glosspaw thought sourly. Stormpaw dropped his impressive catch on the fresh-kill pile while cats surrounded him like he just defeated a load of cats single-handedly.

"Wow! Did you catch all of that?"

"And your first time out of the camp, too!"

"Like father, like son. Birchsong was just as good as you when he was an apprentice!"

 _Pssh. If Stormpaw's anything like Birchsong, he's gonna get in a lot of trouble with she-cats!_ Glosspaw thought, twitching her whiskers amusedly. _I wonder where Ashpaw is? Maybe she's at the Moonpool._

"Hey, Glosspaw! How are y—OH MY STARCLAN! YOU HAVE A SCRATCH ON YOUR FLANK! Come here, I'll make you feel better. I learned so much today. I can't wait until tonight when I get to go to the Moonpool. Anyway, come here. I'll apply a poultice and you'll feel as good as new," Ashpaw said from behind Glosspaw.

"GAH! Ashpaw, don't sneak up on me like that!" Glosspaw exclaimed.

Ashpaw looked sheepish but maintained the motherly attitude. "Come here and tell me all about your first day as an apprentice," Ashpaw said. Glosspaw trudged into the medicine cat den.

"Finchtail?" Ashpaw asked. Finchtail opened one violet eye amusedly.

"Yes, Ashpaw?" she asked.

"Uh, what's good for scratches, again? Is it marigold or borage?" Ashpaw asked.

"Marigold. Whose injuries are you treating?" Finchtail asked.

"Glosspaw. The poor thing has a scratch on her flank! And on her first day out, too!" Ashpaw exclaimed. Finchtail seemed more interested.

"What happened?" she asked. "Oh, my, your scratch is very long."

"Well, uh, I accidently crossed the ShadowClan border, and they brought me into their camp but Jaystar let me go and now I'm here and I hate my mentor because all she does is LIE!" Glosspaw said in one breath.

Finchtail frowned. "Now, now, don't go around and saying bad things about Palefoot. She's a very respectable young cat."

Glosspaw and Ashpaw snorted at the same time. "If respectable means stealing another cat's mate, then yes, she's very respectable," Glosspaw said.

"I won't ask why you think that," Finchtail said, "but you probably should at least pretend you like her."

"Who scratched you?" Ashpaw asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, some ShadowClan apprentice," Glosspaw replied. "No biggie." She winced as Finchtail squeezed marigold juice into her wound.

"Okay, uh, I guess you'll be okay, but let us know if you're feeling like there's an infection," Ashpaw said. Right?" she asked, looking at Finchtail for approval. Finchtail purred and nodded.

"Where's Ravenpelt anyway?" Glosspaw asked curiously.

"Oh, well, since he's kind of old now and he says he can't handle any of the stress. So to be useful, he's currently out in the forest 'collecting herbs'," Ashpaw said.

"Great!" Glosspaw said. "Well, I'll be going. Are you excited to go to the Moonpool?"

"Yes, I am!" Ashpaw squealed excitedly. Glosspaw couldn't help feeling sorry for her sister, who could've been a real warrior apprentice. But then again, Ashpaw seemed pretty happy as Finchtail's apprentice anyway. At least happier than Glosspaw. She slowly exited the medicine cat den and saw it was almost nightfall. She padded into the apprentice den and saw a nest in the far back that didn't carry any cats' scents. She collapsed into the nest and fell asleep right away.

* * *

 **Aww, don't you just love Ashpaw? I sure do! Anyway, what do you think about Stonepaw? Let me know in a *cough cough* review! COUGH COUGH COUGH.**

 **I forgot to mention this, but I wrote a one-shot about Palefoot and Birchsong's affair. So if you would please check it out and let me know what you think, that would be great.**

 **OMIGOD CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT AN APPRENTICE'S QUEST IS OUT I CAN'T BELIEVE IT EITHER I READ IT AND I LOOOOOOOVE IT!**

 **Trivia: Who was Frostfur's mate?**

 **QOTC: I need kits for some future queens! (that was more of a REQUEST of the chapter, but oh well).**

 **Hugs,**

 **Gloss**


	10. The Hunting Contest

**Yo, wassup my homies! It's Glossfur here with another update for Living in the Shadow! YEAH! Ok, I'm going to set a goal for everyone: I want 40 reviews by chapter 10. Can we do it? I think we can! And to everyone who reviewed: thank you so so so so so so so SO much for reviewing! It means a lot to me! I love all of you!**

 **Frostpaw- thank you for the kits! I hope you don't mind if I change their names and tweak their appearances, I don't want LawlClan or whatever to delete my fanfic because it's "interactive".**

 **Pandean- thank you for the kits too! and thank you for answering the trivia!**

 **Kai Lover911- thank you for answering my extremely difficult trivia question!**

 **Wyatt- Catholics unite!**

 **Flameheart15- LOL, your brother is pretty wise. Yes, sometimes I want to smack Palefoot, but then I realize she's fictional and I can't smack her... :p**

* * *

 _I wonder if I should ask Rosestar to change my mentor,_ Glosspaw wondered. It had been two moons since her little ShadowClan episode, and Palefoot could have been considered the worst mentor in the forest. She rarely taught Glosspaw anything; instead, she used their "private training sessions" to hang out with her lovely Clan deputy.

Silverstripe's injuries got better, and she was cleared to return to warrior duties. Her relationship with Birchsong was getting more and more strained. Glosspaw could've sworn Silverstripe knew about Palefoot but was too scared or annoyed to say. The only indicator that they were still "mates" was that their nests were next to each other in their den. Sometimes, Glosspaw wondered what Silverstripe was doing the night she got attacked, but whenever she tried to ask, she received a hiss and a scathing remark, like "Why aren't you doing something useful with your _lovely_ mentor?"

Okay, so Silverstripe knew about Palefoot.

Meanwhile, Ashpaw visited the Moonpool and was an official medicine cat apprentice. She stayed happy and motherly towards Glosspaw. Even though her leg sometimes bothered her, Ashpaw confessed that being a medicine cat apprentice was not so bad. Stormpaw continued to excel in his apprenticeship. He sometimes spoke to his littermates in a "you're my acquaintance, no friendship involved" kind of tone. Glosspaw, however, was faring poorly. Palefoot had only taught her the basics of hunting and fighting. The rest she had to learn herself by spying on other apprentices while Palefoot and Birchsong got all up close and personal. She was actually pretty decent at hunting. She was better at catching fish than stalking forest prey, but then again, wasn't every RiverClan cat like that?

To practice her fighting skills, she asked Ashpaw to help her. Ashpaw happily agreed ("Anything to make my sister better!"). So Glosspaw assumed she was okay at fighting as well. _Great StarClan, I feel like a Mary Sue! Well, to be fair, I'm a decent apprentice, but there's a lot more room for me to improve, so I guess I'm not a Mary Sue character._

* * *

"The other mentors have asked me to have you and their apprentices train together today," Palefoot said with a wicked look on her face. It was dawn and they were standing at the entrance to the camp, about to go to the Training Hollow to have another "training session."

Personally, Glosspaw felt she would be about the same level as any other cat her age, so she just nodded slowly. And she was also too tired to argue. Who woke up at dawn anyway?

"Okay…but you'll tell them that I'm not very good, right?" she asked in fake anxiousness. Since all of Glosspaw's training so far had been "one on one" with her mentor, no apprentice knew about her skills. Oh, how satisfying would it be to see everyone's dumbfounded expression when they found out how decent Glosspaw was!

"Sure," Palefoot said, sounding surprised that Glosspaw was openly admitting she wasn't good. "Oh, and I have something else to tell you," she added.

"Well, go on then," Glosspaw meowed, truly curious at what Palefoot would tell her.

"I'm expecting kits, so another cat will take over your training." WHAT?

"Whoa, wait, what? YOU'RE HAVING KITS?" Glosspaw nearly shrieked, all tiredness forgotten. Palefoot was expecting kits? Suddenly, Glosspaw knew a way to get under her mentor's skin. "Who's the father?" she asked.

Palefoot glared at her. "A queen doesn't have to reveal the father if she doesn't want to," she said stiffly. Glosspaw tried not to laugh at Palefoot's denial when it was obvious that Birchsong was the father to these kits. In a way, Palefoot becoming a queen was pretty good news. Glosspaw could have a better mentor, and Palefoot would be in the nursery—out of sight, out of mind. But then again, that would mean she would have half-siblings in RiverClan, and if those little stinkers got all salty with her, she would give them the surprise of a lifetime.

* * *

"Okay, so we'll assess your skills," Applefur said roughly. Glosspaw and Palefoot arrived in the Training Hollow with the other apprentices, who all were yawning every few seconds.

"First, we'll have a hunting contest. Whoever catches the most prey before sunhigh wins," Palefoot explained. She shot a faux-pity glance at Glosspaw.

"Then, we'll have a battle-skills contest. Whoever pins their opponent down first wins," Morningshine, Leopardpaw's mentor, added.

"Finally, we'll do a race," Petalheart, Mistpaw's mentor, said excitedly. Out of all the mentors, Petalheart was probably the most easy-going and the one who always wanted to have fun.

"Sounds exciting," Goldpaw commented, then stretched her jaws in a huge yawn.

"It should be," replied her mentor, Sage. Sage was once a kittypet, but after being battered by her twoleg, she ran away into the forest. She was now one of the most trusted members of RiverClan.

"Stormpaw, Moonpaw, and Goldpaw will hunt by the Lakeshore," Applefur said. "Meet back here at sunhigh."

"Mistpaw, Leopardpaw, and Glosspaw will go hunt by the stream. Again, meet us here at sunhigh," Palefoot added. Glosspaw growled in her head. She hadn't forgotten Leopardpaw and Mistpaw's rough treatment of her when she was a kit. With luck, she could catch a respectable amount of prey and not be bullied by the Clan any longer!

* * *

"Glosspaw, you can't borrow our catches," Leopardpaw suddenly said. The cats were sitting by the stream, waiting for some fish to swim along.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"You know, take credit for what we do," Mistpaw sneered. "Everyone knows you get by because of your looks. Sorry, but a pretty face doesn't get you anywhere in this world."

"I'm extremely flattered that everyone thinks I'm pretty," Glosspaw said, but when she said this, she looked at the stream. A big, fat trout was swimming towards the apprentices, but Leopardpaw and Mistpaw were too busy jeering at Glosspaw to notice it.

"Yeah, well, you're weak and useless," Leopardpaw meowed. _Just a little further,_ Glosspaw mentally urged the trout as she just ignored the she-cats. Unsheathing her claws, she suddenly swung her paw into the stream, slicing the trout's belly. Water sprayed everywhere, getting all three cats wet. But it was worth it. On Glosspaw's claws was the fat trout.

Leopardpaw's eyes widened. "Give me that!" she hissed, making a grab for the trout.

"Woah, wait! I thought you said I couldn't borrow your catches. Shouldn't that rule apply to you as well?" Glosspaw asked. She grabbed the fish's tail in her teeth and scraped up some dirt. Then, she buried her fish. She hoped the mentors were watching. She wanted them to see how expertly she caught the fish.

"You were just lucky!" Mistpaw meowed.

"Yes, I was lucky that I got paired with you," Glosspaw muttered underneath her breath, eyeing the stream again. She saw a minnow swimming towards Leopardpaw. She saw Leopardpaw unsheathe her claws. Splashing her paw into the water, she swung…and ended up splashing everyone.

"Haven't we been wet long enough?" Mistpaw wailed.

"We're RiverClan cats! We're supposed to like getting wet!" Glosspaw meowed back.

"Aww, frog-dung! I lost the minnow!" Leopardpaw cursed. Indeed, the minnow was still swimming in the water, not disturbed at all by Leopardpaw's attempt to catch it.

"When we've finished complaining, we should try to catch more prey," Glosspaw meowed loudly. Mistpaw growled softly.

* * *

At sunhigh, each apprentice was holding a decent amount of prey. Glosspaw had the brilliant idea of hunting the trees while Leopardpaw and Mistpaw complained, so she also had a squirrel in her jaws, as well as two fat trout. Leopardpaw had a salmon and a pike, and Mistpaw had two carps. The older apprentices glared at Glosspaw, like it was her fault that they caught less prey than her.

Once they got back to the Training Hollow, they saw that Stormpaw, Goldpaw, and Moonpaw had also returned. Stormpaw was proudly holding a water vole, a pike, and a shrew. Goldpaw and Moonpaw each had two minnows in their jaws. With a jolt of surprise, Glosspaw realized that she had the most prey out of the apprentices other than Stormpaw. So much for being useless.

"Well done, apprentices. Now, we will see who caught the most," Applefur meowed. The apprentices dropped their prey by their feet. Glosspaw made sure no one stole her prey and claimed the catch as their own.

Applefur walked around the circle of apprentices. He stopped at Stormpaw and purred approvingly. Stormpaw puffed his chest out. Glosspaw refrained from swiping at his nose for being so arrogant. Finally, Applefur reached Glosspaw. He stared at her pile disbelievingly, as if he couldn't believe Glosspaw caught so much. Other apprentices, even Stormpaw, were glaring at her with daggers in their eyes.

He cleared his throat. "Well, this is a surprise. I believe our winners are Stormpaw and Glosspaw," he meowed, but when he said Glosspaw's name, it was like he was reciting something. When he said Stormpaw's name, his voice was full of pride.

Glosspaw saw Stormpaw swamped by apprentices congratulating him. That was fine. At least she wasn't fighting for air while admiring cats tried to get a piece of her.

"Well done, all apprentices. You may take your prey to the fresh-kill pile, eat something, then come back here for your next challenge," Petalheart meowed.

* * *

 **Poor Glosspaw! Palefoot is the worst mentor ever, but she still managed to win the challenge and ended up getting no praise.**

 **Trivia: Who were Fuzzypelt's sons?**

 **QOTC: Was this chapter boring/lame? If so, sorry!**

 **Remember, 40 reviews...and soon, otherwise I won't post the next chapter until the end of the month!**

 **Love, Gloss**


	11. And the Winner is

**Welcome to another installment of LIVING IN DA SHADOW! OH YEAH! I seriously have no words to thank y'all...I got 40! Yay! Okay, new goal for my lovely readers: I checked my Favorites/Follows status thingy and I have 6 of each. I have 40 reviews and 6 faves/follows. I think we can do better! If you looove my fanfiction and you haven't fave/followed it yet, then do it! Can we pleeeeeeeease have 10 faves/follows by chapter 12? I think we can do it!**

 **Thanks to all of my reviewers. And don't worry. I'll probably use everyone's kits!**

 **PS. I am horrible at thinking of titles, names, etc.**

* * *

"Glosspaw, your partner is Goldpaw," Sage meowed. Glosspaw went to stand by Goldpaw. Stormpaw was paired with Leopardpaw, while Mistpaw and Moonpaw were partners. The apprentices were in the Training Hollow for the second part of the group training competition.

"Now, here's how it will work. Each pair will come to the center of the Hollow. On our signal, you will attack each other with _sheathed_ claws. Whoever pins their opponent down first wins," Petalheart explained. "Remember, no claws out!"

 _Come on, just let us fight!_ Personally, Glosspaw had no qualms towards Goldpaw, but she desperately wanted to prove her skills. Finally, Palefoot stopped talking.

"Stormpaw and Leopardpaw are first," Applefur meowed. The apprentices who weren't fighting stood at the edge of the Training Hollow, while Stormpaw and Leopardpaw got in the middle.

"Okay…GO!" Tallfoot meowed, and Stormpaw leaped at Leopardpaw. She rolled away, but Stormpaw managed to pin one of her legs down. When Leopardpaw struggled to free her leg, Stormpaw swiped at her exposed belly with a sheathed claw. Leopardpaw managed to wiggle free and kicked Stormpaw's chin…hard. His head snapped back, but thank StarClan it didn't crack. Glosspaw breathed a sigh of relief. If her brother got hurt…Leopardpaw would definitely be hearing a piece of her mind, no doubt.

Stormpaw shook his head, trying to recuperate. Using his distraction to her advantage, Leopardpaw grabbed Stormpaw's shoulders and tried to force him down. But he was made of stronger stuff, and instead used her weight against him to his advantage. He somehow loosened Leopardpaw's grip on him and hopped away. She fell forward because she put so much force into trying to push Stormpaw down. Stormpaw leaped on top of her and pinned her down.

"I think I win," he purred. Leopardpaw slumped in defeat while Glosspaw tried not to gloat. _Ha! Serves you right, you little…_

"Okay, Stormpaw, congratulations. You won. Both of you can rest while Mistpaw and Moonpaw fight," Palefoot meowed. Mistpaw and Moonpaw walked into the clearing.

The fight was short but painful to watch. Mistpaw, who was by far a better fighter than hunter, tripped Moonpaw and basically leaped on top of her. Moonpaw was known for being clumsy, and Glosspaw couldn't help but feel sorry for the older apprentice as Palefoot declared Mistpaw the winner.

"Now, it's Glosspaw and Goldpaw's turn," Palefoot meowed. The evil look in her eye told Glosspaw that she might as well accept the fact that she wouldn't win this challenge. But she would still try.

"Begin!" Applefur yowled. Right after he said that, Goldpaw screeched and leaped at Glosspaw with such ferocity that Glosspaw seriously wondered if Goldpaw was secretly a LionClan warrior. Glosspaw slid out of the way on time, and Goldpaw landed on all fours. Turning to face Glosspaw, Goldpaw's eyes showed nothing but a burning passion to win. _Great. She wants to kill me,_ Glosspaw decided. Goldpaw leaped at Glosspaw again. Glosspaw rolled out of the way and Goldpaw landed on nothing but air…and the ground, of course. The two cats got back on their feet and snarled at each other. Brown eyes met gold.

"Are you guys play-fighting, or is this a real battle? I want to see some action, here!" came Palefoot's impatient yowl. Glosspaw hissed. Time to change up the tactics.

She knew she was smaller than most, so she decided to shrink herself to an even smaller size. She crouched down low and whimpered, like she was weak. Goldpaw saw this as a sign of weakness and leaped again. _Jeez, does she ever stop and think, or does she just leap at her opponents?_ Glosspaw thought irritably. Instead of dodging to the side, Glosspaw stepped back a few steps so Goldpaw landed on the ground again. Using this momentary distraction to her advantage, Glosspaw leaped right on top of Goldpaw and tried to pin her down. It was pretty hard, seeing as Glosspaw was a bit weaker than some apprentices. But her anger allowed her strength, and Goldpaw stopped struggling. Glosspaw didn't loosen her grip, though.

"Okay…uh, Glosspaw is the winner, congratulations," Applefur meowed.

 _Phew! I thought we would be fighting forever!_ Glosspaw thought. She decided that she would like to take a nice, long drink in the river.

"Our winners are Stormpaw, Mistpaw, and Glosspaw!" Petalheart meowed.

 _Oh great StarClan…did I seriously win TWO challenges in a row?_ Glosspaw thought, wanting to jump in the air to celebrate. _I can't believe it! Maybe I'm a Mary-Sue after all..._

* * *

"Our final challenge in our apprentice training competition is a race!" Petalheart meowed, bouncing up a bit. "Start at this moldy log. Whoever reaches that clump of ferns first wins."

 _Oh, great. It's so far away! I'm going to pass out before I reach it!_ Glosspaw thought miserably.

"On your mark…" Tallfoot meowed. The apprentices crouched down low.

"Get set…" Petalheart meowed. Glosspaw did one final neck stretch and tried to calm her rapid heartbeat.

"GO!" Palefoot yowled. The apprentices shot off. Well, most of them did. Glosspaw did a leisurely jog. She didn't want to waste all her energy on trying to get to the ferns. Pretty soon, she saw that almost everyone was starting to get a bit tired. Only Stormpaw and Goldpaw managed to keep their pace. Everyone else was slowing to more of a walk-run thing. Glosspaw saw this as an opportunity and sped up a bit. She knew it wouldn't be enough, but she had to make sure that the mentors knew she "tried".

Needless to say, Stormpaw was first, Goldpaw second, and Glosspaw third. Mistpaw was fourth, Leopardpaw was fifth, and Moonpaw, who managed to trip on THREE brambles, was last.

"Out of all our apprentices, Stormpaw managed to win all three challenges!" Applefur yowled. "He will get the first pick on the fresh-kill pile!"

The apprentices yowled, "Stormpaw! Stormpaw!"

 _No credit to the cat who won TWO challenges, of course,_ Glosspaw thought. Still, she was happy for her arrogant brother, and yowled his name extra loud.

* * *

 **Please check out my one-shot, written for Kai Lover911. It's titled Forbidden (LOL, I suck at titles). And remember to fave/follow if you like Living in the Shadow. That's all for me. Let the questions take over!**

 **Trivia: Who was Willowpelt's 2nd mate, and what was his relationship to her (cousin, nephew, etc.)?**

 **QOTC: Who is your least favorite character in Living in the Shadow? Mine's Palefoot, just because.**

 **Random question: Who's your favorite singer? Mine is Taylor Swift.**

 **Thanks for reading! Love, Gloss**


	12. The New Mentor

**Hi. I know I haven't updated in a month or so, but I felt super discouraged that I wasn't able to get 10 faves/follows. So let's try to get there, k?**

 **If you've been reading and enjoy this fanfiction but haven't reviewed yet...REVIEW!**

 **If you've been reviewing but haven't faved/followed yet...FAVE/FOLLOW!**

 **If you've faved, followed, and reviewed...KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!**

 **My 50th reviewer gets a virtual Ashpaw plushie and gets to name Palefoot's kits! Yay!**

 **Ps. If you suggested names/appearances, don't worry. They might appear in later litters.**

 **Without further ado...let's get into the story!**

* * *

Glosspaw felt excited. Palefoot smugly announced her departure from the warrior's den to the nursery, and Glosspaw would be getting a new mentor in just a few short moments. She just had to wait for Rosestar to say the words…

"Palefoot, without queens like you, RiverClan would be no more. We need queens in our Clan, so we offer you our congratulations," Rosestar first announced, dipping her head at Palefoot.

"Palefoot! Palefoot!" the Clan cheered, except Glosspaw, Ashpaw, and Stormpaw. They were positively _seething_.

"Now, her apprentice will need a new mentor. Come forward, Glosspaw," Rosestar meowed.

"Raingaze, you will be Glosspaw's new mentor. I hope you will as good of a mentor as your sister was," Rosestar finished. Glosspaw's mouth hung open. Why did she always get the inexperienced mentors? It was like Rosestar was setting her up for failure. If Raingaze was "as good" as Palefoot, Glosspaw was doomed! She reluctantly touched noses with Raingaze, who looked equally as surprised as Glosspaw that he was a mentor.

 _My life just keeps getting better and better,_ Glosspaw thought. _He's not even prepared. He just became a warrior! How good can he be? Not to mention the fact that he's the littermate of my worst enemy…_

* * *

"Has Palefoot taught you anything?" was the first question Raingaze asked Glosspaw. They were standing near the fresh-kill pile.

"Er…I guess?" was Glosspaw's reply. She couldn't insult Palefoot in front of her brother, but she didn't want the Clan to have this rosy image of Palefoot teaching her apprentice _so well._

"I'll take that as a no," Raingaze sighed. "Figures. She spends too much time with Bir—er, I mean, uh…" Raingaze stammered. So he knew about Palefoot and Birchsong but assumed Glosspaw didn't know.

"She spends too much time with Birchsong, I know," Glosspaw meowed. "She taught me the basics, and left me on my own. Sometimes she just makes me clean out the elder's den or the nursery."

"Well, I'll make sure you are taught everything you need to know," Raingaze promised.

"Seriously? You'd be that nice to me?" Glosspaw asked dubiously.

"Hey, I love Palefoot and all, but sometimes she a pain in the rear. And I want the best for RiverClan, so that means good apprentices who become great warriors. I will train you to be a great warrior, and maybe someday, you'll be as good as me," Raingaze said in a playful tone.

"Oh, yes, Great Clan leader. Show me your amazing skills," Glosspaw meowed in a fake deep voice, bowing down in mock respect.

Raingaze lightly cuffed her ears. "Let's go hunting first."

* * *

"Crouch lower, Glosspaw! No, higher! NO, stop!" Raingaze meowed, frustrated.

Glosspaw collapsed in exhaustion. "Jeez, when Palefoot was my mentor, she didn't push me this hard!" Glosspaw complained.

"Well, this is normal apprentice training. I'm not pushing you at all; in fact, I'm going very easy on you," Raingaze meowed.

"Could've fooled me," Glosspaw meowed. "But it's totally not my problem that I had to learn everything myself!"

"I know," Raingaze sighed. "You have potential. I just wish Palefoot would've taken this more seriously."

"She's taken it as seriously as she could," Glosspaw snorted. "At least she taught me the crouch."

"Not very well," Raingaze noted dryly.

"Let's move on, shall we?" Glosspaw asked.

"I guess we can go fishing now," Raingaze answered, sounding relieved to not have to yell at Glosspaw for her horrible forest hunting skills.

* * *

Glosspaw had a lot more success at hunting fish, and when she and Raingaze went back to camp, he was glowing with pride. She had caught three carp and two minnows. It was a good day. Ashpaw came rushing out of the medicine cat's den.

"Oh, Glosspaw, you caught so much! Can you take some to Finchtail? Rabbitleg injured her injured paw when she fell from a tree, StarClan only knows how, so Finchtail is kinda tired and hasn't had time to fetch any fresh-kill. I'm sure she'd appreciate it!" Ashpaw rambled. "Being a medicine cat is so much fun, actually! I can't even imagine myself being a warrior. I know all the herbs already. Finchtail says I have potential. And did you know that…" Ashpaw continued talking as she led Glosspaw to the medicine cat den. Mouth stifled by the fish in her jaws, she mumbled an occasional "Mmm…" and nodded her head. Finally, they reached the medicine cat den. Glosspaw padded through the entrance and set her huge fish by Finchtail's feet.

"Thank you, Glosspaw," Finchtail meowed gratefully. Rabbitleg, who was sleeping, didn't stir.

"Is she okay?" Glosspaw asked.

"She might have an infection, but otherwise, she's fine," Ashpaw answered.

"Great job, Ashpaw! Rabbitleg needs her poultice replaced, would you like to do that for me?" Finchtail asked.

"Yay!" Ashpaw squealed, and got to work. Glosspaw shook her head amusedly and said good-bye to her sister.

* * *

"Glosspaw, do you know what day it is?" Raingaze asked her.

"Uh…no?" Glosspaw meowed/asked.

"It's the Gathering!" Raingaze meowed excitedly. "I know you haven't gone yet, even though you should've gone at least once by now."

"Stormpaw's been to two and Ashpaw's been to all of them," Glosspaw complained. "It's not fair that I had to stay behind. No one in the Clan even recognizes me!"

"Well, I do. And I told Rosestar, and she agreed to let you go!" Raingaze meowed.

 _Wow! I'm going to a Gathering!_ Glosspaw thought.

* * *

"The cats attending the Gathering are as follows: Birchsong, Finchtail, Ashpaw, Jaywing, Applefur, Stormpaw, Yellowriver, Grayflower, Raingaze, and Glosspaw," Rosestar called out from the Tall Rock.

Glosspaw felt elated. She was finally going to a Gathering! She wondered what it would be like. Where the cats there nice? Was ThunderClan really made up of kittypets and rogues now?

She would find out tonight.

* * *

 **Hi again, really sorry that this chapter kinda sucked and was short and boring. I hope you like Raingaze better than Palefoot. Remember RRFFE (read, review, fave, follow, and enjoy)! See ya in less than a month!**

 **~EMO GLOSS (dramatic emo hair flip)**


	13. A Very Scandalous Gathering

**After a long time of inactivity, I'm baaaack! I realized that I already named the ThunderClan leader Thrushstar and made him a pretty stable guy, so I had to sorta improvise and use Poppystar instead. If you didn't read the preview (which has been deleted), then don't worry about it. Everything will be okay! Yassss!**

* * *

"Now, remember, it's okay to chat with the other apprentices, but don't give away anything about our Clan," Raingaze murmured in Glosspaw's ear. They were already at the island where the Gathering would take place. The moon shone full and bright. Glosspaw was so excited! She was bouncing on her paws.

"Yes, I know," Glosspaw meowed impatiently. Why wasn't WindClan here yet? They weren't too interesting, but Glosspaw wouldn't do anything until all four Clans were at the island and she could see a cat from every Clan.

Just as she thought that, the leader of WindClan, Poppystar, was approaching the tree branch that all the leaders sat on. She seemed quite harried, her white fur ungroomed and a wild expression in her eyes.

 _Uh, oookay,_ Glosspaw thought when she saw her. What a professional attitude Poppystar was maintaining!

She decided to check out ThunderClan's apprentices. After all, she was most interested in them. She hurried over to them and wrinkled her nose. They smelled awful, too much squirrel mixed with trees. Bleugh! So far, this Gathering was very bad.

 _Thanks for the false impressions, Stormpaw!_ Glosspaw thought angrily. Her brother had fed her lies earlier that day about how _wonderful_ the Gathering was and how many friends he made. And instead of scolding him for making friends in another Clan, Applefur just twitched his tail-tip lightly.

"Uh, hi!" she said nervously, approaching two ThunderClan apprentices. One of them was a tom and the other was a she-cat. Their tails were twined together.

"Oh, hi! Are you RiverClan?" the she-cat asked politely. Her voice sounded kind of soft, gentle, and soothing, but for some reason, Glosspaw felt a sickeningly sweet feeling from hearing it.

"Yeah, I am. I'm Glosspaw, what's your name?" she said, remembering her manners.

"I'm Quailpaw, and this is Oakpaw," she said, nodding her head at the tom.

"Nice to meet you Quailpaw and Oakpaw," Glosspaw said. Oakpaw seemed kind of shy, but Glosspaw could see the muscles underneath his pelt, which clearly indicated his strength. He would be a cat to watch out for in future battles!

"Hey," Oakpaw said gruffly. His voice was already as deep as a full-grown tom's.

"We're almost about to take our assessment to become warriors!" Quailpaw said excitedly (and completely out of the blue). "We already went to the Moonpool."

"Really? How was it?" Glosspaw asked curiously, also abruptly changing the subject from introducing herself to assessments.

"Well, I was really hungry," Oakpaw said unexpectedly. Then he shyly scuffed his paw on the ground, as if he couldn't believe he said that.

Quailpaw laughed. "He's normally not this awkward. He's just nervous because you're so pretty."

Glosspaw didn't know whether to feel flattered or not. Quailpaw seemed to be Oakpaw's 'mate', seeing how close they were, but she didn't seem jealous about Oakpaw 'liking' Glosspaw. She didn't think she was _too_ pretty. Okay, so her fur was sleek and shiny, but that was the only thing going for her. Besides, she was way too young to deal with this kind of drama anyway.

"What an abrupt change of subject!" Glosspaw replied. Quailpaw looked at her for one second and started laughing.

Oakpaw muttered something, but Quailpaw laughed again. She opened her mouth to say something to Glosspaw but was interrupted by Jaystar yowling, "The Gathering has begun!"

"Honestly, I don't know why his voice always goes high-pitched whenever he says that," Oakpaw muttered to Glosspaw. She stifled a purr and sat down by him. He and Quailpaw seemed likeable enough for smelly, kittypet ThunderClan cats!

Glosspaw listened to the words the leaders said with fascination. The leaders stood on the branch high and noble, their deputies at the trunk. Quailpaw helped Glosspaw identify all the other deputies, gasping in surprise when Glosspaw said she was Birchsong's kit. Honestly, it was nothing to be proud of.

Jaystar began by reporting the status of his Clan in a dull, monotone voice that indicated his displeasure of being at the Gathering. Glosspaw wasn't all too surprised. Jaystar never struck her as someone excited for anything. Then, Thrushstar, the ThunderClan leader, gave his report about invading kittypets or something. Then Rosestar announced her news, which involved Palefoot's pregnancy (Glosspaw hissed, giving herself some strange looks). Finally, it was Poppystar's turn. Instead of listening politely to the other leaders like everyone else, she was shuffling on the tree branch, muttering to herself and looking around with her wild eyes, jerking her head back and forth. When Rosestar finished, it took her a half a second to start talking. And boy, did she cut straight to the chase.

"Cats of all Clans, listen to me! StarClan has sent me a warning!" she yowled. Glosspaw was confused. It must've shown on her face, too, because Quailpaw leaned over to her and whispered, "She's getting crazy now. After her mate died, I don't think she's the same Poppystar as before." Glosspaw nodded in understanding.

"A sign from StarClan," Poppystar repeated, her eyes looking wild. "You may see Rosestar of RiverClan as noble, but in fact, she has lied to you about everything!" Gasps came from the gathered cats, even WindClan. They clearly hadn't planned this. Even the WindClan deputy, Bluepelt, looked shocked. Rosestar had apparently been such a noble leader that nobody believed Poppystar.

"Rosestar's Clan is filled with bastards!" she announced dramatically. Glosspaw bristled with rage while all the other cats gasped. Quailpaw looked scandalized, while Oakpaw seemed very uncomfortable. What did Poppystar mean by bastards? Like, the regular insult, or the kit-without-a-father insult? Either way, any shred of respect Glosspaw had for Poppystar disappeared. There wasn't that much to start out with anyway.

Rosestar spoke. "Poppystar," she said, trying to stay calm. "I don't see how that information is relevant to share at the time of a Gathering."

Poppystar sneered as the gathered cats watched with sick fascination. "RiverClan cannot repopulate when all of its kits are half-siblings! We must drive them out of the forest before it's too late!" Poppystar hissed.

 _If that were the case, then a lot of cats, like Graystripe, wouldn't have been born,_ Glosspaw thought amusedly. She had heard great tales of the cats of old, like Graystripe, Firestar, and Sandstorm. And it so happened to be that Graystripe's parents were siblings. Yuck!

Rosestar stared at Poppystar with her mouth hanging open. She spared one look at Birchsong and her face hardened.

As all of this happened, Glosspaw saw a tiny cloud cover the moon, but all the cats were too focused on the scandal before them to notice.

"RiverClan's affairs are none of WindClan's business," Rosestar said with an icy and calm voice. Honestly, if Glosspaw were leader, she would've ignored the truce and attacked Poppystar then and there! "And nor will they ever be. Gathering dismissed!" Rosestar yowled, flicking her tail. All the RiverClan cats followed her, except Glosspaw.

"Er, well, see you guys later, I guess," she muttered to Quailpaw and Oakpaw.

"I'm sorry about what Poppystar said," Quailpaw said sympathetically. "Bye!"

"Bye," Oakpaw meowed quietly, his eyes downcast.

With that, Glosspaw followed the remaining RiverClan cats out of the island.

Was hoping for a peaceful first Gathering too much to ask for?

Apparently it was.

* * *

 **I hope this chapter got you thinking! It's probably kinda obvious that Birchsong will be the father to half the kits in RiverClan at the rate he's going. Should I reform him or keep him a perv?**

 **QOTC: Why do you think Poppystar was super crazy?**

 **Trivia: What was the name of Tigerstar's son who died at birth?**

 **Byeeee,**

 **Gloss :3**


	14. Plotting Against the Mistress

**Hey guysssss! School started today, so I thought I'd get a chapter in before the chaos starts. I'm a freshman this year, what about you (you don't have to tell me)? This chapter is a bit boring and short but it leads up to something one of my readers requested (you'll find out what it was later). Enjoy!**

* * *

When Glosspaw envisioned coming home from a Gathering, she thought she would feel victorious. Instead, she felt somewhat defeated.

"Can you believe what happened?" Ashpaw whispered to Glosspaw as they entered the camp.

"I know! How on earth does Poppystar know about Birchsong?" Glosspaw hissed back. Goldmist, who was a newly made warrior, overheard them. She hadn't been invited to the Gathering, instead, she was waiting around the camp entrance to figure out what happened at the Gathering before anyone else.

"What did Poppystar know?" she asked innocently, just appearing in front of Glosspaw's face out of nowhere. Okay, Glosspaw was a lot shorter than her, so she just saw Goldmist's neck.

"Oh, you'll find out," Ashpaw said mysteriously. Glosspaw stifled a purr.

The other cats who didn't go to the Gathering, like Moonshine, Leopardpelt, and Mistfur, were crowding around the star apprentice Stormpaw for him to tell them exactly what happened.

"Poppystar was causing a havoc at the Gathering, spreading rumors about RiverClan," he said hotly. "But thank StarClan Rosestar was so professional. I would've ripped her throat out!" All the she-cats sighed dreamily.

"Honestly, he should have a fan club or something!" Glosspaw hissed to Ashpaw. She purred.

"Don't worry, Glosspaw. Soon, they'll all come around," Ashpaw assured her.

"Glosspaw!" Silverstripe called. "Ashpaw! Come right here this instant!"

Ashpaw was in midsentence about how the herbs in Finchtail's den comforted her, but stopped at Silverstripe's call and bounded over to her. Glosspaw quickly followed, not wanting to deal with the wrath of an angry mother. They didn't have to worry about waking up the whole Clan; everyone was awake, trying to get details about the Gathering.

Silverstripe was standing behind a drooping branch of a willow tree. Stormpaw was not with her.

"Okay, so you must understand why I called you here," she meowed quietly.

"Uh, no, we don't," Glosspaw said.

"Well, I called you here to tell you about Birchsong," Silverstripe said.

"We already know," Ashpaw blurted. Glosspaw swiftly kicked her from saying too much. The last thing they needed in their lives was to get involved in the Silverstripe-Palefoot-Birchsong "love" triangle.

"That's good. At least I don't have to explain to you," Silverstripe meowed. "Honestly, the whole Clan adores him and Palefoot! Is there at least one cat in the Clan who doesn't like them?"

"Me, Ashpaw, and Stormpaw," Glosspaw offered.

"And me," Silverstripe said, drawing herself up. "So I need you two to enlist Stormpaw and do me a favor."

"What?" Ashpaw asked, confused.

"Okay, here's what I want you to do for me…"

* * *

The next morning was peaceful. Rosestar explained what had happened last night, and there had been cries to attack WindClan and ask Poppystar to justify her actions. In the end, Rosestar sent Ravenpelt, Petalheart, and Goldmist to WindClan to have Poppystar explain herself at dawn. Glosspaw couldn't help wincing at the bad choice of cats. Ravenpelt was an elder, but Rosestar justified herself by saying that WindClan wouldn't dare attack a medicine cat. Goldmist was a newly made warrior fresh out of apprentice training. The only reasonable cat going to WindClan was Petalheart.

All the apprentices were confined to the camp in case WindClan decided to launch a surprise attack on RiverClan.

But the problem was that there were six apprentices cramped in the same den. With Quailflight's kits becoming apprentices, the den was hot and stuffy in the late Greenleaf season. Worst of all, Firepaw and Blackpaw (Quailflight's kits) were wreaking havoc and blaming their sister, Poppypaw, for it because she shared the same namesake as Poppystar. Glosspaw couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but she had bigger problems in her mind.

For one, Silverstripe had asked her, Ashpaw, and Stormpaw to disrupt Palefoot's peaceful pregnancy as much as possible. But that was sort of impossible because of Birchsong, who seemed to know everything his kits did. When Glosspaw tried to bring Palefoot a trout from the freshkill pile filled with yarrow, he confiscated the fish before Glosspaw entered the nursery. When Ashpaw tried to sneak a foxglove seed into a special mixture Finchtail mixed for Palefoot (it was supposed to help with Palefoot's belly cramps), Birchsong sniffed it out of the pile and ordered Finchtail to throw out all her foxglove seeds. And when Stormpaw brought Palefoot a squirrel stuffed with a combination of herbs including burdock root, catmint, and mouse bile (Ashpaw guaranteed them that the mixture would cause a tremendous bellyache followed by bouts of vomiting), Applefur somehow caught him and gave him elder's duty for two weeks.

"What are we supposed to do?" Ashpaw moaned. "I've tried everything! Heck, I've even asked Finchtail if she could poison Palefoot, but she said no."

"And Birchsong seems to know our every move," Stormpaw meowed.

"Well, there is something we could do," Glosspaw meowed slowly.

"And what's that?" Ashpaw asked skeptically.

"You know how Birchsong cheated on Silverstripe? Well, Goldeneyes—she's his mother, you know—caught him with numerous other she-cats in the past, even from different Clans! If we told Palefoot, maybe she'd stop being so arrogant," Glosspaw explained.

"But would she even believe us? Last I saw, she was head over heels for him!" Stormpaw argued.

"We'd have to make it in a way that is so convincing she can't NOT believe it!" Glosspaw exclaimed.

* * *

 **Hmm, Glosspaw, ya sure about that? :P Anyway, please review, fave, follow, etc. I have 56 reviews! Yay! This might be a bit of a long shot, but can we hit 65 by the next chapter? Maybe? No?**

 **~Glossssssssss**


	15. Family Drama

It had been three sunrises since the patrol left to WindClan. And they hadn't returned yet.

Glosspaw sensed worry buzzing around the camp; it was almost contagious. She herself was worried, too, but there were bigger priorities at the moment.

She had a huge, extraordinary, awesome, and fail-safe plan to convince Palefoot that Birchsong was a player. The only problem was that the plan was not, in fact, fail safe. It was quite the opposite.

"Uh, so how are we going to get Palefoot out of the camp when we ourselves can't leave it?" Stormpaw asked slowly when they were discussing their plan.

"We fly her there," Ashpaw replied sarcastically, totally out of character for her. Being cooped in camp all day was shortening her temper, so she was snappier than usual.

"No, we tell Raingaze to tell her to leave camp so we can prepare the sign," Glosspaw said.

"Wait, Raingaze knows?" Stormpaw hissed.

"Well, I had to tell a warrior, and Raingaze disapproves of his sister's relationship with Birchsong anyway," Glosspaw said uncomfortably under Stormpaw's glares.

"I guess it's better than no plan," he finally agreed.

"Then it's settled," Glosspaw said. "Palefoot will know the truth in no time!"

* * *

The plan was in action. Glosspaw signaled to Raingaze, who walked over to where Palefoot was shaded under a willow tree and eating a juicy trout. He said something to her and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Quick! We need to set up the sign!" Glosspaw hissed. She and her littermates scampered out of the camp through the dirtplace tunnel and into the cool, refreshing woods of RiverClan. They headed to the lake, which seemed like a reasonable place for a sign from StarClan to occur.

Glosspaw had planned to fake a sign from StarClan to tell Palefoot that Birchsong was no good for her and that she had made a terrible mistake. Glosspaw would kill four fish—one for each Clan, and Stormpaw would eerily whisper the message. Then, they would uproot a tree and it was crush all the fish. Hopefully Palefoot saw this as a sign that being with Birchsong would lead to the destruction of the Clan.

It was working so well. Glosspaw, Ashpaw, and Stormpaw had disguised their scent in a fresh patch of catmint and were hiding in a thick clump of brambles. Palefoot had suspiciously wandered to the lake, Raingaze chatting amiably with her. Then, she gasped when she saw the dead fish.

"Four…what could this mean?" she whispered in fear to Raingaze.

"What? I don't know," Raingaze said innocently.

"This is a sign," she meowed quietly. "Finchtail told me I would have four kits…"

"Palefoot…" Stormpaw's voice came eerily behind the brambles. "Palefoot…beware the father, for he is the father of many…"

"StarClan?" Palefoot shrieked. "What are you saying?" Raingaze pretended to try to calm her, but she was screeching her head off.

Glosspaw gently reached a paw out and tapped the tree that she had already weakened. It came tumbling over and landed on the fish with a sickening CRACK, just a few mousetails away from Palefoot and Raingaze.

 _This is working so well!_ Glosspaw thought gleefully. She thought too soon. A patrol came bursting through the brambles…and landed right on top of Glosspaw and her littermates.

"GAAKK!" they all screeched, swallowing some pointy brambles. Once they untangled themselves, Glosspaw saw who had caught her.

It was Birchsong and Leopardpelt. Glosspaw groaned internally. Not another she-cat!

"GLOSSPAW!" all the warriors shrieked, even Raingaze, who looked sorely disappointed that the plan failed.

"GLOSSPAW..wha…WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Birchsong roared.

 _Yikes…_ Glosspaw thought.

* * *

"Not only were your actions irresponsible and despicable, but you left camp when apprentices were SPECIFICALLY TOLD NOT TO LEAVE! As well as scaring a nursing queen half to death, you endangered her life! What if the tree fell on her? What if the kits in her belly were lost because of your irresponsible actions?" Rosestar roared at the three apprentices in her den. Palefoot, _looking_ shaken but feeling smug (Glosspaw knew because her eyes glinted with the "I won you lost boohoo" look), Birchsong, Leopardpelt (looking confused), and Raingaze were in the den, watching as Rosestar yelled at Glosspaw and her littermates. Raingaze looked at her sympathetically.

"Well, wouldn't have been such a big loss, then, huh?" Glosspaw muttered under her breath.

"WHAT? HOW CAN YOU SAY A QUEEN'S LIFE AND HER KITS ARE NOT IMPORTANT?" Birchsong demanded. "You disappoint me! You know, with this behavior, sometimes I WISH YOU WEREN'T MY DAUGHTER!"

"WELL, OKAY! I WISH YOU WEREN'T MY FATHER!" Glosspaw yelled back.

"SILENCE!" Rosestar screeched. Honestly, with all the screaming, it was a wonder the Clan didn't come bursting through the entrance of Rosestar's den.

"Birchsong, Raingaze, get Palefoot back to the nursery. I need to chat with these apprentices…alone." Rosestar said, suddenly looking tired and weary.

Birchsong and Raingaze ushered Palefoot out of the den. Glosspaw could see Birchsong's pelt just touching Palefoot's and nearly puked.

"Now, tell me the whole story. From the very beginning," Rosestar said. Glosspaw knew exactly what she was talking about but decided to annoy Rosestar.

"What story? I could tell you a lot of stories, but most of them aren't true," she replied, making her voice innocent and wondering. Ashpaw and Stormpaw snickered but quieted as soon as Rosestar glared at all of them.

"Now," she said in a deadly tone that warned Glosspaw of near death or something worse if she didn't obey.

So Glosspaw told the story, Ashpaw and Stormpaw filling in for every detail she missed. She felt no fear in telling of Rosestar's deputy's philandering. In fact, she was quite relieved to get the weight off her shoulders.

Once they were finished, Rosestar stared into space for a little bit. Then, she said, "Come. I want to show you something."

* * *

 **OK, OK, I know I said that this chapter would tell the fate of the patrol and all, but I then I got this splitting stomach ache and this was all I could write. But oh well, at least it's some entertainment, right? (awkward silence) Yeah I'll just go...**

 **QOTC: What do you do to calm yourself down? I listen to rain noises and watch Dance Moms.**

 **~Gloss**


	16. I'm really sorry

Hey guys...if anyone still cares about this story, I'd be surprised.

I mean, it's been a year since I updated (lol not really but still). I don't know if some of you feel abandoned/confused about why I decided not to continue writing this story, but truth is, I just don't want to.

Let me explain. I started reading Warriors in 7th grade. I was immediately hooked and finished the entire series (all the books) in a matter of a few months. But I wanted more. So I went and looked up some Warriors fanfictions, and was hooked again.

I also happened to have a passion for writing at this time, and was always excited when my English assignment was to write a story. But at this point I didn't ever think I would be writing a fanfiction.

Jump to one year later. I am in 8th grade and still super obsessed with Warriors. It's literally all I read (unhealthy but true). Then, I realize what I want to do: I want to continue the story in my head, because the authors were sure taking their sweet time in writing the books. So with that, I created an account for fanfiction. net and decided to start writing.

I was so excited for it at first. I had so many plans for Living in the Shadow. It was going to be the greatest Warriors story on fanfiction...

or not. You see, I wasn't exactly getting the recognition I thought I would. I realized that in order to get more follows/faves, I would have to have a consistent writing schedule, and that simply wasn't possible because of all my extracurricular activities. So my uploading became spotty, the storyline took a completely different turn that I thought it would, and soon I ended up in a position where I couldn't find a decent way to continue the story.

I know I keep publishing apology chapters, saying that I wll get the story out, just wait for a bit, but this time, I really mean it. I don't know if anyone will see this or care, but I'm sorry for not uploading any more chapters to this story. I'm sorry for not feeling motivated to write like I once did. And if I actually do have some fans out there who are anxiously waiting for me to upload...well, sorry for the wait, and sorry that you had to read this chapter.

I don't know what I am going to do with this story. I really do want to try and continue writing it, but whenever I sit in front of my computer, all my thoughts go blank and I end up writing a crappy chapter. So, once again, I am very sorry if you really liked my story and wanted me to continue, but I'm not sure if I will or not.

Thank you all for reading this. Happy belated New Year, and I hope you aren't too mad/uncaring about me :)

~Gloss


	17. Rosestar's Story

**I'm back after a long hiatus and two apology notes! Yay! And it's all because of you reviewers who gave me motivation to keep writing. So thank you everyone! I think this chapter should at least explain one of your biggest questions. So hopefully you like it, and if you don't, please tell me what I can improve in a review. Also, if you haven't faved/followed yet, please do. It motivates me to keep writing. Now without further ado, let's get into it!**

* * *

Rosestar led Glosspaw, Ashpaw, and Stormpaw out of the camp. Glosspaw couldn't help but notice the stares she got from her fellow Clanmates as she walked by them. They were looking at her like she had five legs and decided to chop one off. Basically, like she was total trash. Of course, her littermates were suffering from the same thing, but she was the most disliked in the Clan, so obviously she got the most glares.

Rosestar kept walking until she reached the ThunderClan border. Glosspaw was struggling to keep up, and she could see Ashpaw limping more than usual. But she wasn't going to say anything to Rosestar, she was too afraid of her leader's wrath. Once Rosestar stopped at the ThunderClan border, she beckoned the apprentices into a hidden hole they hadn't noticed before by an old oak tree.

"Quick, come in here," she hissed, and slithered into the hole.

"Well, we don't really have a choice," Glosspaw muttered, and followed Stormpaw and Ashpaw into the hole.

It was actually a tunnel. "Uh, if you don't mind us asking, what are we doing here?" Glosspaw finally asked after a few seconds of awkward tension.

"We're here because I need to tell you a story," Rosestar said in a kind of eerie way, like she was demonically possessed.

 _Oh joy,_ Glosspaw thought. _She's probably going to kill us or something._ Just in case she was, Glosspaw prepared herself to escape by edging herself closer to the entrance of the tunnel.

"So go on, then," Stormpaw demanded. "Tell us, if it's so important." Glosspaw almost moaned. The last thing she needed was for Rosestar to get angry at them because of Stormpaw's flippant comment. Ashpaw was still and quiet, thank StarClan. At least she had common sense.

"It's complicated. You must promise me you will not interrupt or freak out and tell everyone. Do I have your word?" Rosestar asked intensely, looking at each of them in the eye. At this point, Glosspaw was too afraid to disagree, so she nodded timidly. So did Ashpaw and Stormpaw.

"I was a young she-cat before, full of dreams," Rosestar began. I always wanted to be leader of RiverClan, and I did everything I could to become deputy. At this time, your father was also about my age. He also had big ambitions. We always competed against each other for the most favored spot in the Clan.

"During a Gathering, I met a ShadowClan tom, Rowanheart. We immediately fell in love. I knew if anyone found out about him my chances to become deputy would be ruined. But I didn't care, I loved him so much." Rosestar started to choke up here. Glosspaw nearly considered making a run for it, but decided to listen to Rosestar. It was an interesting story, after all.

"I—I was so in love with him it came to a point where I was expecting his kits. This wasn't good, because the deputy of RiverClan at that time, Tawnyfoot, was sick. Troutstar was considering me and Birchsong for the deputy position. But I knew that if he found out I was expecting kits, he would elect Birchsong as deputy, and I couldn't stand that idea. Birchsong to me was an arrogant, self-centered idiot, and I knew he couldn't lead the Clan well. I had to become deputy. So I met up with Rowanheart, and he agreed to take our kits to live in ShadowClan instead. I decided to run away from the Clan for a short period of time to give birth to my kits. It was leaf-bare at the time, and I knew a good excuse I could make to stay out of camp for a long time. So I gave birth to three beautiful kits and gave them to Rowanheart. Then I returned back to RiverClan, saying that I was caught in a storm and decided to seek shelter and wait until the worst of it was over. Everyone believed me. No one knew I had kits.

"But Birchsong knew. He was watching us, he threatened to tell the entire Clan about my affair if I didn't do what he wanted. But he didn't know that I too saw him with multiple other she-cats from different Clans. I told him that I knew his secrets, and that if he told anyone, I would tell too. But I didn't really mean it, because even if I told everyone Birchsong's secret everyone would know about my affair with Rowanheart." Rosestar stopped and swallowed with difficulty. She was looking at the ground like she was ashamed of herself. Honestly, Glosspaw had no idea why she decided to tell them this story, but she almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

"I didn't want to destroy my chances of becoming deputy, and Birchsong knew it as well. So he told me to…to…" here Rosestar sobbed. "He told me to mate with him, and if I did my secret would be safe. I was so stupid, so I agreed. I didn't realize that after that, he would have enough material to blackmail me with. Troutstar elected me as deputy and died soon after. Birchsong told me that if I didn't elect him as deputy, he would tell everyone everything. I didn't want to risk it. I had just received my nine lives and didn't want to get exiled. So I elected him as deputy. That is the only reason why he is deputy and not Applefur." Rosestar finished her story, and sighed.

"I'm really sorry," Ashpaw said sympathetically. "You must've been so angry."

"I was," Rosestar agreed. "I was. And when you were born, I guess I must've felt a grudge against you, being Birchsong's kits. And I apologize, especially to you, Glosspaw. I know I haven't been the best leader to you, but I hope you realize it's nothing against you."

Glosspaw didn't know what to say. Rosestar basically just poured her heart out to her worst enemy's kits willingly. She was so trusting towards them. Glosspaw kind of felt moved. And she felt very sorry for Rosestar.

"Is—is Rowanheart still alive?" Glosspaw couldn't believe she was asking this.

Rosestar glared at her. "No," she said, her voice stone cold. "He died in an ambush along the border of RiverClan. Birchsong was in charge of it." Well, that explained why ShadowClan was so jumpy when Glosspaw was pushed across the border. "My kits are still alive, though. Before he died, we met one more time. He named our kits Stonekit, Dawnkit, and Bluekit. But then a bout of greencough entered ShadowClan camp and only Stonekit survived." _Stonekit…Stonepaw…OH MY STARCLAN Stonepaw is Rosestar's kit?_

"Hey, I met Stonepaw!" Glosspaw exclaimed. "He was part of the patrol that kidnapped me into ShadowClan!" _And he was really cute, too. Wait, why am I thinking this?!_

"Was he healthy?" Rosestar asked anxiously.

"Yes, he was really strong, he even scratched my flank, remember, Ashpaw?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ashpaw exclaimed.

"But what if you ever have to fight against ShadowClan and Stonepaw has to attack you? Would you let him?" Stormpaw asked curiously.

Rosestar inhaled deeply. "Yes, yes I would."

* * *

After returning back to camp, Glosspaw, Ashpaw, and Stormpaw regrouped in the apprentice's den. It was empty. The other apprentices were playing outside, so they could talk in private.

"No wonder why Birchsong is deputy! That stinkin' liar! I can't believe he's our father!" Ashpaw fumed.

Stormpaw opened his mouth, probably to agree, when suddenly Goldmist burst through the camp entrance, panting. Her fur was missing in some places, and her eyes were wild and scared.

"Help…WindClan…attack…" she wheezed. Then she fell to the ground.

* * *

 **Ooh, cliffhanger! Please review/fave/follow. I'd be super happy if you would! And I'll probably get the next chapter up this coming weekend, maybe. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you soon!**

 **~"I'm back from Hiatus" Gloss**


	18. ThunderClan's Newest Warriors

**Hey y'all, so I know this chapter is super short, but I was really rushing it to get it out before the week actually started (I had no school today). So hopefully you like it, even though it is a filler chapter. I think I may combine chapters to make them longer, but I don't know. Enjoy!**

* * *

The Clan was in an uproar.

"I KNEW THEY WERE NO GOOD!" Morningshine, a normally mellow cat, shrieked.

"My kits! They'll be next!" screamed Palefoot. Glosspaw rolled her eyes. Couldn't the Clan just calm down?

"SILENCE!" Rosestar yelled, appearing out of nowhere. "Let Goldmist speak, if she can."

But Goldmist was already unconscious. Ashpaw scurried forward and helped Finchtail carry her into the medicine cat den.

"We will not attack WindClan yet," Rosestar meowed calmly. "We shall wait until Goldmist wakes up."

"And what if she doesn't?" Birchsong asked. Glosspaw refrained from hissing. Just hearing her father's voice made her skin crawl.

Rosestar looked at Birchsong with so much calmness Glosspaw couldn't believe it.

"Don't you have faith in your own daughter, or are you too focused on your other kits to care?" she said with an icy voice. Glosspaw and Stormpaw knew exactly what Rosestar was talking about, but the rest of the Clan looked confused, as they thought Rosestar was talking about Glosspaw and Stormpaw. Birchsong looked shocked for a moment but immediately regained his calm. He sneered and walked away, towards the nursery. It was like the Clan was blind. Birchsong wasn't even _trying_ to hide his affair with Palefoot anymore, but no one noticed.

 _Idiots,_ Glosspaw thought. But there were much bigger problems to worry about.

"Where do you think Ravenpelt and Petalheart are?" Glosspaw asked Stormpaw.

"I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "But knowing WindClan, they probably catnapped them."

"For sure," Glosspaw agreed, but her mind wasn't focused on WindClan. Instead, she was thinking about what Rosestar said about Stormpaw, and how he was her kit. And how he put his tail around her when she was trapped in the ShadowClan camp. _Cut it out, Glosspaw! What on earth are you doing? You are an apprentice! You're not supposed to be thinking of love and especially not forbidden love!_ she thought.

* * *

 **Oakpaw POV**

"Oakpaw!" Quailpaw called.

"What?" he said. He had his final assessment last night, and after that he and Quailpaw snuck out of camp to spend some quality time together before their warrior ceremony. Needless to say, he was exhausted.

"Come on, our ceremony is starting soon and you're late!" she shrieked. "Come on, come on, come on! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming," he groaned. As he opened his eyes, he was surprised that the sunlight wasn't as bright as before. He stood up and stretched his muscles, yawning widely. Quailpaw quickly groomed his pelt for him. He purred and gave her ear an affectionate lick. He was so lucky to have such a beautiful, kind, and smart she-cat as his mate.

* * *

"I, Thrushstar of ThunderClan, call upon StarClan to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the warrior code. Do you, Oakpaw and Quailpaw, promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," they both said at the same time.

"Then by the power of StarClan I give you your warrior names. Oakpaw, from this day forth you will be known as Oakfrost. StarClan honors your courage and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Oakfrost licked Thrushstar's shoulder respectfully, not able to contain his excitement. He then went off to sit by his mentor, Silvermoon.

"Quailpaw, from this day forth you will be known as Quailpelt. StarClan honors your intelligence and speed, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Quailpelt was shaking as she licked Thrushstar's shoulder, and she hurried off to sit by her mentor, Brackenfoot.

"Oakfrost! Quailpelt! Oakfrost! Quailpelt!" the Clan chanted. Oakfrost leaned over to where Quailpelt was sitting and whispered in her ear, "We made it!"

The look Quailpelt gave him was worth a thousand suns.

* * *

 **Hopefully having Oakfrost's POV (haven't seen him in a while) was worth the wait? no? oh well. Please review, and if you haven't already, favorite and follow my story as well. I would really appreciate it!**

 **Love, Gloss**


	19. Update on LITS

I have good news! Kai Lover911 is taking over this story, so it's now gonna be on that account. I had a good run, but I'm not going to stress myself over updating when I have few readers who are active. Please check it out there! Love, Gloss


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